'Mah LOLthesis let me show u it': The (re)making and circulation of participatory culture: memes, creativity and networks Victoria Emma Dantas Esteves University of Stirling Doctorate of Media & Culture September 2018 Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisors Prof. Richard Haynes and Dr. Greg Singh for their continued support (on many levels!), belief and feedback throughout this thesis, Dr. Sarah Neely for her input and assurance, as well as all my interviewees for their valuable contributions. I also want to thank Prof. Graham Meikle for his invaluable help, feedback, encouragement and cat memes from day zero; Caspar Rock for his unwavering understanding and for being the embodiment of his namesake; Irina Baltazar for her patience and kindness; Hugo Pereira for telling me I could do this years ago and Gatinho for being the coolest cat I know – all of whom have made this thesis possible. Abstract Internet memes have become ubiquitous in our everyday experiences, both online and offline, permeating a variety of fields; not only are they prevalent in our communications among friends and strangers, they are also present in our political, commercial and cultural experiences. Memes are collective exercises in meaning making and creativity made both inter- personally and globally through sharing, which is built into the craft-like ethos of internet philosophy. Alternative 20th century strategies (e.g. collage, détournement, culture jamming) underlie much of current online interaction, embodying collaborative cultural practices - currently enabled by the accessibility to remix technology - that echo previous movements (e.g. punk, craft, Situationists International). Online memes are the intersection between participatory culture, remixing and intercreativity. Whilst literacy of formal aspects might lead to exclusivity, the low level of literacy required to engage with memes makes global access possible. However, this democratic potential might be threatened by the recuperation process that inhibits memes’ ability to perform counter-cultural roles, as wide circulation of memes has led to re-appropriations by politicians and commercial advertising. This thesis maps out meme use in a multitude of arenas including: politics (online debate and in protests), commerce (merchandise, use in advertising), and other cultural spaces (from LOLcat art to Lolita subculture). Additionally it follows the unfolding of the Doge meme closely across these spheres, providing insight into phenomena such as Dogecoin tipping and mass charitable actions performed under this meme. Ultimately, memes are successfully used across various groups and types of relationships (although at times met with some resistance), as their elasticity is able to accommodate the incarnations that place value upon spreadable meaning on a global scale. Keywords: online memes, internet, politics, craftivism, commercialisation, communication, remix, participatory culture, LOLcats, Doge, networks, creativity Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…1 Chapter 1: Literature review………………………………………………………………………………………………………7 Social Media…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….7 ‘Produsers’, participatory culture…………………………………………………………………………………………..7 Active audiences - making……………………………………………………………………………………………………..8 Online circulation…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….10 Remix - DIY………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….15 Situationists………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….17 Punk…………………………………………………………………………….…………….…………….…………….…………..18 Craft……………………………………………………………………………………….…………….…………….…………..….21 Commodification……………………………………………………………………….…………….……………………..….22 Online memes – what are they? ………………………………………………………………………………………..23 Meaning making…………………………………………………………………………………….…………….…………….26 Meme/meaning making rules…………………………………………………………………………………………….28 Social uses in ‘real’ life……………………………………………………………………………….…………..………….29 Chapter 2: Methodology………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…32 Ethnography……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..33 Interviews……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….43 Self-reflection……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………50 Chapter 3: What (exactly) are memes? ……………………………………………………………………………………55 Emoticons…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….57 Timing: content thefts and reposts……………………………………………………………………………………58 Meaning………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….62 Intra-meme remix/meaning mutation………………………………………………………………………………67 Ur doing it rong…………………………………………………………………..……………………………………………69 Meaning Boundaries……………………………………………………………………………………….…………….…70 In-jokes: inclusive/exclusive…………………………………………………………………………………….……….72 Motivations……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….75 Chapter 4: Online circulation – ‘All your memes are belong to us’………..…………………………………78 Facebook………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….78 I Can Has Cheezburger? ……………………………………………………………………………………………….….83 Know Your Meme…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….87 9gag………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……..89 4chan……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………91 The dark side of memes……………………………………………………………………………………………………93 Offline circulation of memes…………………………………………………………………………………………….98 Chapter 5: Memes & Politics…………………………………………………………………………………………………101 Binders of women………………………………………………………………………………………………………….101 Is Ted Cruz the Zodiac Killer? …………………………………………………………………………………………107 Offline political protests…………………………………………………………………………………………………109 #occupy…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………111 Pepper spray cop meme……………………………………………………………………………………………..…113 Local knitivism……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….116 Connective action………………………………………………………………………………………………………….118 ‘Tinquiry’, maktivism, offline DIY and consumerism ……………………………………………………..119 Chapter 6: Commercial use of memes……………………………………………………………………………………123 Meme Merchandise……………………………………………………………………………………………………...124 Memes? In my advertising? It’s more likely than you think……………………………………………127 Offline commercialisation……………………………………………………………………………………………..130 Virgin Media ad……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..130 Keyboard Cat for EE…………………………………………………………………………………………………….…134 Maynard’s Sour Granny Smith……………………………………………………………………………………….138 Chapter 7: (Sub)cultural uses………………………………………………………………………………………………….145 Personal use IRL…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….145 Nicolas Cage window…………………………………………………………………………………………………….149 LOLcats museum…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..151 Lolita fashion: subculture & memes………………………………………………………………………………153 Chapter 8: Doge case study…………………………………………………………………………………………………….166 Origins………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….166 Doge @ Reddit………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….170 Dogecoin……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...172 Tipping in Reddit…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..173 Dogecoins for charity……………………………………………………………………………………………………176 Dogecoins IRL……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….178 ‘Official’ uses - politics……………………………………………………………………………………………….…180 ‘Official’ uses – commercial circulation…………………………………………………………………………181 Doge IRL……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….182 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….187 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….195 Appendix 1…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……….………223 Appendix 2…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……….224 Appendix 3…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………….225 1 Introduction In contrast with our experience of momentous media events – from the instant we first saw 9/11 footage, to the first time we heard the Brexit results, or even when we signed up for Facebook – it is unlikely we remember where we were the first time we came into contact with internet memes. However, online memes have similarly shaped our communication, social discourse and meaning making as citizens, consumers, friends and strangers in the 21st century. In recent years internet memes have exploded in popularity and cemented their place in the majority of aspects of our online (and even offline) lives, going from a relatively niche internet phenomena to an almost guaranteed inescapable occurrence to anyone within 10 feet of an electronic device. These funny pictures of cats and thousands of other representations have developed into a global remixing exercise. With this scale of ubiquity in mind, a deeper and more scrutinising look is warranted when it comes to memes, their place in our lives and their role in our relationship with the world as well as with each other. This thesis tackles such a challenge by closely examining meme culture, charting a critical map of the field and addressing some of the main aspects and issues that encompass our daily internet meme experiences. By studying the relationship between memes and meaning making in a variety of contexts I intend to produce a comprehensive understanding of this cultural phenomenon. As the internet carves an essential place in our lives we witness the development of the relationship between new media technology and our own cultures. This liaison is perfectly encapsulated in the form of the internet meme, which presents us with an ongoing tug-of- war between its technological reliance and its social constructivism. Whilst memes are essentially a cultural product of the structural network that is the internet, it is also a breakaway product