Society and Memes
History and Definition
The origins of the term meme, unlike many other terms, has a clear point of origin and can be traced back to an exact year. According to Limor Shifman author of the meme section with the Digital Keywords book, it was ethologist and author Richard Dawkin who was the first person to coin the term meme within his 1976 book entitled The Selfish Gene. The word meme was described by Dawkin’s as a cultural unit of transmission that followed the basic principles of retention, variation, selection, and competition. This definition accounted for the fact that a meme can take on many forms ranging from texts to ideas, and even behaviors. Under Dawkin’s definition, a simple example of a meme that Shifman provides is that of the song Happy Birthday. The song is considered to be a meme since the song falls under the criteria of being phenomena that spread that was adopted by a wide variety of people and followed the basic principles of retention, variation, selection, and competition. This definition of a meme would go onto be the basis for the field of memetics.
21st-Century Definition
“A group of digital items sharing common characteristics, form, or stance, which were created with awareness of each other and were circulated, imitated, and transformed via the internet by many users” (Shifman 2013)
The field of Memetics and memes themselves fell into obscurity for a while until the adoption of the internet provided a resurgence for memes and with the immense power that the internet provided users with it ultimately gave way a modern approach and definition to the term meme. Shifman proposed their own definition for an internet meme that being “a group of digital items sharing common characteristics, form, or stance, which were created with awareness of each other and were circulated, imitated, and transformed via the internet by many users” (Shifman 2013). This definition served to incorporate the way memes are no longer a singular cultural unit instead they come in waves and people are exposed to a multitude of memes on a daily basis via the internet. Shifman’s definition of the so-called internet meme perpetuates the idea that internet memes have engulfed the original meaning of the word meme and thus it has become the default definition to the general public.
Other Notable Definitions
“An idea that is passed from one member of society to another, not in the genes but often by people copying it”(Oxford Dictionary 2019)
”An image, a video, a piece of text, etc. that is passed very quickly from one internet user to another, often with slight changes that make it humorous”(Oxford Dictionary 2019)
“Memes are habits, skills, songs, stories, or any other kind of information that is copied from person to person” (DR Susan Blackmore 2017)
These definitions paint a clear picture of how the meaning of a meme has evolved over time. From a broader and more academic standpoint, a meme is still referenced as something that is copied from person to person mostly by imitation. This is clearly seen within the first Oxford definition and the one provided by Dr. Blackmore author of the book The Meme Machine. Unlike Dawkins' original definition Dr.Blackmore’s perception of a meme is more open-ended which is indicative of her critical analysis of the field of memetics and the immense reach that memes have developed. The worldwide adoption of the internet gave way to the birth of internet memes which forced the humorous aspect into the definition of a meme. Since then to the general audience memes are now and forever will be intertwined with humor. Whilst most scholars including Richard Dawkins himself believe that there is a clear distinction between memes and internet memes, the reality is that an internet meme is still a meme and just because it has become the face of the word doesn’t meme it has gotten rid of the original meaning.
Memes and The Digital Public Sphere
The emergence of the internet has reignited the idea of public spheres on a digital level. A public sphere as described by Christian Fuchs within his essay Social Media and the Public Sphere is a platform that is open to all, “free from state censorship and private ownership” (Fuchs 2014), with the purpose of having people engage in critical public debate. Memes have become such an integral aspect of the internet that it is no surprise that they have also become a topic of discussion when it comes to digital public spheres.
Memes have played a simple but crucial role when it comes to exposing the censorship strategies of certain platforms. When a platform performs any kind of censorship it automatically violates one of the primary principals of the public sphere and serves to further the debate whether a true digital public sphere is even plausible.
The infamous Pepe the frog meme was adopted by the alt-right back in 2016 and was used by hate groups across various social media platforms like Facebook. According to the article, Facebook has an official Pepe the Frog policy by Megan Farokhmanesh the use of the meme prompted the company to create internal policies that see them delete the meme if it is used in a certain context. According to the article Facebook “ deletes them [images containing pepe] if shown in the context of hate, endorsed by hate groups to convey hateful messages” (Farokhmanesh 2018). Whilst the intentions behind Facebook’s actions are somewhat noble their actions create a social quagmire of sorts since any censorship is against the principals of a public sphere.
A core aspect of memes is that they can be used in a variety of ways and this further complicates their relation within the realm of public spheres. In one context a meme could be used as symbol of hate, yet at the same time can be a symbol of hope to others. Just a few months ago the Pepe the frog meme was seen censored in certain Chinese media since it was being used as a sign of liberty and rebellion during the Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests. The article Hong Kong protesters transform alt-right Pepe the Frog into pro-democracy symbol by India Bourke details how the meme has been adopted by protestors as a symbol of hope and noted that “ the cartoon frog and stuffed toys of the amphibian have become ubiquitous, providing much-needed moments of levity as the violence escalates”(Bourke 2019).
“In the United States it’s a hate symbol, but now it is reborn in Hong Kong as a symbol of love and freedom” (Phoenix 2019)
The polar opposite uses of the meme within the world are indicative of the discrepancy between platforms proving that public spheres are something not possible under the social media’s current conditions. Memes are everywhere and have been used and reused in a variety of ways leading to the creation of entirely different meanings for a single meme throughout a wide array of platforms. They truly have proven that censorship is something crucial to today’s platforms and thus currently there are no true digital public spheres.
Memes and Self Branding
The concept of self-branding is something that has risen in popularity alongside the adoption of social media and for better or worse memes have played a huge role in the study of self-branding. One core concept of self-branding discussed in the article The Brand Called You by Tom Peters touches upon the way in which “ When you’re promoting brand You, everything you do — and everything you choose not to do — communicates the value and character of the brand” (Peters 1997). This idea of perpetuating your image with every action you take intertwines with memes perfectly since due to the innate viral nature of memes, there have been plenty of people who have become memes and gained massive fame overnight. When a person becomes a meme, their image is often linked to whatever meme they have become, and it often sticks with them. This new persona is the core of their success and becomes their own brand prompting them to do whatever they can to sustain that fame.
A great example of a meme dictating someone’s online personality is the artist Lil Nas X his fame spawned from the multitude of memes that shaped his image and made him who he is. According to the article Started on TikTok, Now We’re Here: A Look Back at the Meme-Tastic Beginning of Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road by Ellise Shafer Lil Nas X’s fame spawned from an “engaging meme that generated millions of creations and billions of views”(Shafer 2019). It was from then on he built up his image to be this fun-loving free spirit person who isn't afraid to speak his mind. This image is constantly being perpetuated by his appearance on Tv, interviews, and social media posts. Lil Nas X has built up his brand to fit a certain image and his success is entirely based on keeping up that image with the aid of memes. I believe that nowadays the phrase 15 minutes of fame is irrelevant when it comes to the right person since with the proper self-branding practices you can extend those 15 minutes for decades.
Memes and Algorithms
Algorithms are a part of everyday life and they often dictate the content we consume be it Youtube videos, news articles, or even memes and that has become a major issue. The article Can monoculture survive the algorithm? by Kyle Chayka explores the concept of monoculture and its ever fading relevancy in today's society. Monoculture is used as a term to describe a monolithic culture, a culture in which a whole society is aware of certain concepts ranging from media to ideas. The article states “ the pressures of social media and the self-reinforcing biases of recommendation algorithms that drive streaming, culture is becoming more similar than different” (Chayaka 2019). Memes are a crucial part of the decline in monoculture since as noted within the article they play a role in the way society seeks to play the algorithm by opting to post like-minded content instead of original ideas. This trend of reposting content for likes and fame only furthers the stigma of un creativity that algorithms seem to favor.
“I’m more concerned that there isn’t enough room for products or projects (or even places) that are not memes, that aren’t pre-optimized for sharing or scaling” (Chayaka 2019)
The trend of algorithms favoring unoriginal content is something that is clear and prominent throughout the various social media sites given the way content can be easily copied and reposted with no real consequences. The article Fuckjerry founder apologizes for stealing jokes and pledges to get creator permission by Nick Statt details how the owner of a popular meme page stole content without crediting people and used his fame to garner a massive wealth via branded posts. The Instagram account fuck jerry has amassed its massive 15.1 million followers on memes some of which were posted without proper permission which further proves that lack of originality that the algorithms crave. The same memes are being reposted by tens of thousands of people at a time creating an environment that severely lacks any sort of imagination. Algorithms seem to favor like-minded content which in a way is killing traditional monoculture but most of all seem to be killing creativity.
Memes in the News
The article Trump mocks ‘Mini Mike’ with ‘Spaceballs’ meme after Bloomberg hits POTUS with ‘Star Wars’ written by Joseph A. Wulfsohn is a perfect example of the intersection between memes and the concepts explored within the class. The article itself details a recent interaction between President Trump and presidential dropout Mike Bloomberg that saw them tweeting memes at each other. In this particular context, memes are being used by both parties as a way to elevate their self-branding. The original tweet by Bloomberg was meant to elevate his image as a proper political figure by mocking President Trump as if to say that despite him leaving the race for election Trump is still in trouble. The response that Trump tweeted was a meme meant to further his own brand as a powerful political figure by diminishing Bloomberg’s comments by stating that he is no threat to anybody especially to him.
This example of memes completely fits under the established definitions of either Dawkins or even Blackmore given the context and purpose the memes were used for. Both of the memes used by Trump and Bloomberg were pieces of information that have been copied and altered for the purpose of being spread to others, which solidifies them as proper memes. Whilst memes have been associated with humor, in reality, they have proven themselves to have no real primary purpose. The established example of Pepe the frog clearly dictates the fluid nature that memes have come to obtain. Thus in this particular context memes are being discussed well within the recognized definitions.
Conclusion
The two initial definitions of a meme presented within this post encompass every single example of a meme that I have discussed. The term meme is perfectly vague in the sense that it is more of an idea or concept rather than something that is tangible. Either the alt-right or symbol of peace versions of Pepe the frog are still considered memes since they proved themselves to be a form of information that was spread from person to person mostly through imitation both offline and online.
The work done by memes in the contexts explored within this post varies depending on the circumstance but all center around communication and engagement. In some instances, memes serve to supplement ideas and provided a layer of interaction between people this can be seen within the ways some memes often become templates which people use to express themselves. A meme can serve to emphasize a certain point that can often go overlooked if it were to be simply written out. At the same time Memes are constantly finding themselves replacing certain aspects of everyday conversation which at times can obscure much-needed interactions between people.
“Meme a piece of information or concept that is spread from person to person mostly via imitation” (Ernesto Escobar 2019)
In lieu of all the different definitions and examples of a meme that I came across during my reach, I would define a meme as a piece of information or concept that is spread from person to person via mostly imitation. I feel that this definition is broad enough to encompass both the original meaning of a meme and the recent internet meme, which are both memes. In reality, the concept of a meme is still fairly new and seems to be evolving alongside society so it might become one of those terms that never truly finds a clearcut definition
Notes
Definitions
Articles
Social Media and the Public Sphere
Facebook has an official Pepe the Frog policy
Hong Kong protesters transform alt-right Pepe the Frog into pro-democracy symbol
Can monoculture survive the algorithm?
Fuckjerry founder apologizes for stealing jokes and pledges to get creator permission
Trump mocks ‘Mini Mike’ with ‘Spaceballs’ meme after Bloomberg hits POTUS with ‘Star Wars’
Inspiration for head image
