Read the following interview between Henry Jenkins (globally renown expert on media culture) and Limor Shifman (internationally recognized expert on memes) about what memes are, how they work, and why people participate in them:
- Part 1: http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2014/02/a-meme-is-a-terrible-thing-to-waste-an-interview-with-limor-shifman-part-one.html (blog interview)
- Part 2: http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2014/02/a-meme-is-a-terrible-thing-to-waste-an-interview-with-limor-shifman-part-two.html (blog interview)
Next respond with a two-paragraph comment explaining what memes are, how they work, and why participate in them. Be sure to read the full article before responding as there is some nuance to these questions that you may miss if you jump in with the first thing you read.
The response is worth 10 points.
According to Limor Shifman, who focus primarily on digital memes, “memes are a group of digital items that share a common characteristic of content, form and/or stance, that were created with awareness of each other; and are circulated, imitated, and transformed via the internet by multiple users”. Now, this sounds to me just as what language is. They have different functions. They can be created for economical reasons, since we have all this mass media outlets like , Youtube and Instagram, individuals focus on the amount of “likes” or “views” their memes create thus creating income. Another use is for social purposes, we can create memes to share what, as a society, each individual is seeing or experiencing, finally we use memes for cultural reasons. It helps express the continuation of our culture, either modern, conservative, and so on.
In my opinion the reason why individuals create and participate in these memes are plenty. They might think is fun, help create income, sends a message to the masses and so on. I also think that we create these memes simply because is another form of language, another platform to express feelings, ideas, thoughts, agreements and politics. They can influence the individuals that see them and also help spread ideologies to the individuals that create them, and also show solidarity to all the individuals that share them and/or create them≥
Arlenys Luciano
April 17, 2020
Discussion 1: What are memes? How do they work? Why do we participate in them?
What are memes?
According to Limor Shifman “memes are a group of digital items sharing common characteristics of content, form, and /or stance, that were created with awareness of each other, and were circulated, imitated, and transformed via the internet multiple users.”
How do they work? Memes develop through the process of variation, competition, alteration, and inheritance. The way memes are used in language is as an ideological representation of reality. Memes are a semiotic view of digital culture, meaning that they can affect our culture by persuading our minds. For instance, every time we share a meme this meme will continue to be published to social media, such as Instagram, YouTube or Facebook.
We participate in memes because it is a way of transmitting culture by social means, also because they are funny, and we can relate to others by copying their gestures and behaviors. Since memes show another kind of literacy in language, the ideology of using memes is to communicate with others in a different way, without using all the building codes of language effectively but assuring to transmit a message of whatever we want to express.
According to Limor Shifman, who focus primarily on digital memes, “memes are a group of digital items that share a common characteristic of content, form and/or stance, that were created with awareness of each other; and are circulated, imitated, and transformed via the internet by multiple users”. Memes contain multiple components to be understood and relate to society as language contains multiple building codes which differentiate through dialects. Furthermore, she expresses that memes shape subcultural communities and their practices by the content used by its creators. In this “digital age” we are exposed to various of memes throughout the web as groups of texts and images. Once a meme is posted people relate to it or may just find it funny and share it; others “repackage” them, meaning they just modify it a little to make it their own and share it again. Memes spread very quickly through social media.
Shifman later states that the motivation to create memes are economy, social and cultural reasons. She elaborates how economy has increased in the creations of memes because of the amount of attention it receives from people making it valuable. Economy also relates to memes in the form of making a profit of it. For instance, you tubers make videos daily and because of the amount of subscribers they receive they gain a profit. Next she discusses social motive which is divided in two parts “individuality” and social connection. For instance, in photoshopped images people are able to demonstrate individuality by showing that they are “digitally literate, unique, and creative.” Simultaneously the contents they share relate in one way or another to society. Lastly, cultural norms are shared because of rooted history. I can agree with her in all of these ideas because on social media we view how people post a meme or video of themselves or other subjects and eventually become famous. The way they become famous is by society relating and sharing their memes, liking their memes and mimicking what is trending.
Limor Shifman defines memes as “digital items” that share the same message. However, once the meme has been viewed through numerous people, it begins to add on a new (but same message) addition to that one meme. He describes the process that a meme goes through is people becoming aware of them, processes them and then “repackage” the meme which essentially leads to more sharing of memes. How I interpreted this is that once a meme has been shared by users all over social media and pops up everyone, one can see a meme. In some way or form, one can “connect” with the meme. This can be that they agree with the content that the meme is putting out or that they simply just find it funny. They then begin mentally taking the meme in and add their take of the meme or whatever they feel that the meme is missing so that it can be even funnier. Or at times one will look at a meme and make a whole new version of that same meme, but with a different caption and keeping the same overall content of that meme. This then allows for the meme to be posted and shared so that it can be viewed by others.
The reason why the majority for today’s society participates in viewing memes or even creating memes is that memes are a form of expression through humor. One may find themselves enjoying creating memes or even just going through memes. On the other hand, one may participate in the world of memes because they know that in today’s society the most effective way to get through to society is through memes. So for them to make people believe their beliefs and hear what they have to say, they may use memes to their advantage. In other words, one can view memes as an excuse to abuse power or even make society enjoy placing others into ideologies. After all, what memes truly mean to society is that they are “just a joke” to some, but may not be the intent for others. I think that this may be one of the main reasons why the majority of youth participate in memes. It is because they find common humor within the memes.
According to Limor Shifman, who focus primarily on digital memes, “memes are a group of digital items that share a common characteristic of content, form and/or stance, that were created with awareness of each other; and are circulated, imitated, and transformed via the internet by multiple users”. Memes contain multiple components to be understood and relate to society as language contains multiple building codes which differentiate through dialects. Furthermore, she expresses that memes shape subcultural communities and their practices by the content used by its creators. In this “digital age” we are exposed to various of memes throughout the web as groups of texts and images. Once a meme is posted people relate to it or may just find it funny and share it; others “repackage” them, meaning they just modify it a little to make it their own and share it again. Memes spread very quickly through social media.
Shifman later states that the motivation to create memes are economy, social and cultural reasons. She elaborates how economy has increased in the creations of memes because of the amount of attention it receives from people making it valuable. Economy also relates to memes in the form of making a profit of it. For instance, you tubers make videos daily and because of the amount of subscribers they receive they gain a profit. Next she discusses social motive which is divided in two parts “individuality” and social connection. For instance, in photoshopped images people are able to demonstrate individuality by showing that they are “digitally literate, unique, and creative.” Simultaneously the contents they share relate in one way or another to society. Lastly, cultural norms are shared because of rooted history. I can agree with her in all of these ideas because on social media we view how people post a meme or video of themselves or other subjects and eventually become famous. The way they become famous is by society relating and sharing their memes, liking their memes and mimicking what is trending.
Memes are a form of communicating cultural information from one person to the next. They are groups of text and images. Memes share common characteristics of content, form or stance. They are created with awareness of others and are circulated, imitated and transformed using the internet by multiple users. The designs of memes are made regarding decisions in order to increase the chances that more people will see the meme. Memes are created through mimicry. This means that the text of a mean or image will be recreated in many different ways to pass along the same idea or message. Another way that they are created is via photo shopping methods. This is to create an idea as well and spread it to the general public.
People participate in memes because they create a sense of communality. This is so because the recurring text or images show social and cultural views on a subject matter. Memes reflect economic, social and cultural views. For example, the more a certain meme is shared on social media shows a social view on a particular issue or idea and the popularity on that topic. People participate in memes because they are used in order to express themselves and show their individuality. Memes show others how someone thinks or even their sense of humor. If someone makes a funny meme it shows that they have a good sense of humor and that they are funny, thus, showing a glimpse of their personality. People also share memes on social media because it shows that they are in tune with what is going on and what may be considered “cool” within society or the community that they are a part of.
According to Limor Shifman, memes are “cultural information that passes along from person to person, yet gradually scales into a shared social phenomenon.” Shifman goes on to explain that memes have been around before the internet, but the internet has certainly assisted in the reproduction and spread of memes. Memes only become memes once they are spread and reproduced. Shifman also goes on to explain that there are three motivating factors for the creation of memes: economic, social, cultural. The economic motivation behind the creation and spread of memes involves the amount of attention people pay to information. Memes also contain a social motivation because they allow people to show their individuality. The cultural motivation behind creating and spreading memes is that the content behind the meme is usually rooted in the history of pop culture.
With these three motivating factors behind the creation and spread of memes, it is clear to see why people participate in them. For people in my generation, I would argue that many of it involves social and cultural motivation. When a new meme starts circulating, everyone wants to be a part of it and contributes in some way by either creating their own version of it or sharing ones already created. Memes also tend to be recycled over time, so the cultural motivation is prevalent. The economic motivation behind memes makes sense for people who pursue careers as freelancers and depend on social media in order to promote their services. All it takes is for one person to create a meme and enough people to find it entertaining or relatable in some way and then those people will spread it.
Tiasha Samuels
Discussion of Limor Shifman Interview on Memes (Parts 1& 2)
In this interview Limor Shifman defines memes as a group of digital items sharing common characteristics of content, for, and/or stance. It was created as awareness of each other and were circulated, imitated and transformed via the internet by multiple users. One example that he mentions is the Harlem Shake which was a popular and successful internet meme. Limor also mentions that not all memes are made to be humorous but there are also successful means that have a serious and powerful meanings such as the “It Gets Better” campaign. He also looks at memes as a group of content units compared to Dawkins ideas as a singular cultural unit. Instead of looking at it as a singular account of memes, he sees it as a plural account because there are new ways that people experience them in this digital age. Limor Shifman also describes memes as cultural information that passes along from person to person which turns into a shared social phenomenon on large platforms such Facebook, YouTube, Twitter or Instagram. This is what make memes successful.
The reason why we should participate in memes is because a lot of them carry a bold and powerful message. This is a way that people can send information about important events. A good example could be the pandemic that we are facing with today. Memes of hand washing, and social distancing is important for everyone. Because memes are the most successful when it is being shared from person to person it sends important messages out to everyone. In this generation, many people do have social media accounts and, on the internet, to communicate with others. Memes are a source of communicating.
Limor Shifman describes memes as “…I suggest defining an internet meme as (a) a group of digital items sharing common characteristics of content, form, and/or stance; (b) that were created with awareness of each other; and (c) were circulated, imitated, and transformed via the internet by multiple users…” Social Media is one of the biggest forms of how memes are being shared with others. Many platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are where memes are mostly shared at a rapid pace and are also being repackaged. Basically the same meme worded differently. Memes have been around since before the internet but with the internet now it’s easily accessible.
We participate in memes and meme culture since it plays into our economic, social and cultural societies. We participate as well since we also relate to these memes. It’s like we’re in the know if we know about a specific meme that’s popular at the moment. Especially nowadays it’s our form of communicating since everyone has some form of social media. It keeps us updated and entertained.
what memes are, how they work, and why participate in them
Memes are little forms of media that can be varied and expanded to explain a message in a comedic and simple matter that can be understood on any level. There are all kinds of memes, image, video, etc. Usually, a meme is simple, to the point, and can be varied based on people using the format. Memes that are successful are widespread, and usually are spread out to so many people so quickly.
People participate in memes for several reasons. One, meme making is super easy. A meme works for it’s simple format and that anyone in theory can vary it for a different message. Two, memes are part of communities. Meme making allows people to fit in since they may relate to so much from a simple idea explained in a comedic fashion. As a “memer” who has made memes himself, this is how I see it. The reasons people participate in memes may vary between people, but these two reasons feel the most common.
Limor Shifman defines meme as “(a) a group of digital items sharing common characteristics of content, form, and/or stance; (b) that were created with awareness of each other; and (c) were circulated, imitated, and transformed via the internet by multiple users.” I think this is an adequate general definition because memes can evolve a lot, they don’t have to look exactly the same. Shifman says meme’s work in a 3 dimensional process. First, something popular is shared among people. Then, as the number of views grow, it’s repackaged through mimicry or remix. Some people enjoy making their own versions of the shared media. Third, memes diffuse through competition. There’s a huge amount of topics for memes so not all of them can be as equally viral. Additionally, sometimes new popular memes can take over your entire social media feed. You would constantly see the meme everywhere until it dies down. During that process, there’s bound to be other memes that get lost in competition.
Generally, people participate in meme creation and sharing because it’s amusing. However, it’s also a way to be “in the know” as Shifman noted. It’s a way to know what people are talking about and what is happening in the world. For example, if there are memes about a speech by Donald Trump, then people will be informed about something ridiculously amusing he said. We see a lot of fast food franchises participating in memes today and I think the relatability makes companies look more appealing. Memes about Popeyes and Chick-fil-A have definitely contributed to their sales. This is just one of the numerous industries using memes.
My understanding from Limor Shifman Interview on Memes:
Memes are units of content with common characteristics in form, content, or stance created with full awareness of similar content and circulated by multiple users using the internet. Memes serve several purposes; first, they work as sources and means of passing and sharing cultural information. They also work as a social binder. The shared pathways of meme production and distribution bring people together, creating commonality in the fragmented world as people engage in an interesting idea from a meme. Again, memes work as a form of political participation. They represent and spread political ideas enabling people to express their opinions and join in political discussions.
People should participate in meme production and sharing for economic, social, and cultural discourses. Memes can actualize economic governing and benefits as they command the most significant resource in business, attracting people’s attention. If a meme garners enough attention, an author can capitalize on the audience for economic gain. Memes can also serve as a form of social expression of creativity and individuality for an individual. A participant can also use memes to preserve and pass on culture by making memes on cultural aspects solidifying specific norms and attitudes.
Md Faris Noor
Professor Patrick Corbett
ENG 1161
30 April 2020
The article A Meme is a Terrible Thing to Waste: An Interview With Limor Shifman talks about contemporary/digital meme usage (which is elaborated by Limor Shifman) as opposed to the meme concept which was defined by Dawkins in the 1970s. Shifman definition of memes is divided into 3 parts: a) a group of digital items sharing common characteristics of content, form, and/or stance; b) that were created with awareness of each other; and c) were circulated, initiated, and transformed via the internet by multiple users.
According to Shifman, memes work by being passed from person to person or being “spread,” which is basically the sharing of information. Moreover, Memes reproduce by various means of repackaging. People “repackage” memes either through mimicry, remix, or manipulations of content. Finally, Memes diffuse through competition and selection.
People should participate in memes because they are “cultural building blocks that are articulated and diffused by active human agents.” Furthermore, the combination of memes may tell us something interesting about contemporary digital culture. Last but not least, Shifman explains that “spreading memes signify that someone is “in the know,” thus reflecting positively upon their personality and (often) perceived sense of humor.”
Shifman’s definition of meme is “a group of digital items sharing common characteristics of content, etc.” Memes are used and produced by individuals or selected carefully to be posted onto social media platform to spread awareness. Memes are used by being transformed by media users to recreate different versions of the content. People participate in recreating memes or creating memes would want to relate and connect with other social media users. Memes are a sort of entertainment and a form of validation by posting on social media the amount of “likes” or “view count” that comes with it.
Shifman’s believes there are three types of motivation, “economic, social, and cultural.” Memes thrive better on entertainment channel like YouTube’s most viewed videos that are photoshopped being recreated for content. Creation of memes is a way to “express individuality” and express personal opinions on politics. A way to voice and share information or ideas with netizens, with the help of reposting or sharing online. People participate in recreating memes wants to raise awareness and connect with others through media platform.