Lazalde 1 Luis A. Lazalde Dr.

Erin Dietel-McClaughlin WR 13300-11 7 April 2014 Memes and the Case for Modern Communication As one browses through reddit, 4chan, Facebook, or any other social networking site, one cant help but notice the immergence and use of memes. One that may come up often is the lovable doge meme, a picture of a Shiba Inu, often named shibe modified with grammatically incorrect statements in the font comic sans describing a certain situation or circumstance via unintelligent internal monologue from the dog, often including the words wow, many, or such. Despite its simple nature, the Doge meme has spread through the internet like wildfire, even sparking the creation of Dogecoins, a derivative of the internet crypto-currency Bitcoins with real world value. At the heart of a Doge meme is its salient simplicity, a theme that runs through many internet memes and thus makes them so adept to the culture of the internet. Although these pictures from the internet may be much funny and are thus used to pass the time online, their methodology, origin, and use is much more complicated than would be expected of simple lolcats. Internet memes can encompass their own language, a novel form of communication for a new age brought forth by the internet (knowyourmeme). Although internet memes are often brushed off as comic relief, their use, when seen through the lens of cultural transmission and memetics, can prove a powerful tool for the spread of ideas, social critique, and awareness. Memes and the study of memetics have their root in the study of evolutionary biology. First coined by the evolutionary biologist and ethnologist Richard Dawkins in the final chapter of

Lazalde 2 his book The Selfish Gene as a word analogous to gene, a meme" is used to describe a unit of cultural transmissionor imitation (Dawkins 206). The term "meme" comes from the Greek term mimeme or mimeta which translates to "that which is imitated" or "imitable. These are exemplified by tunes, ideas, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or building arches (Dawkins 206). Memes, like genes, are described by Dawkins to be replicators, entities that have the ability to copy themselves, much like a mold or template (Dawkins 17). With the dawn of replicators comes the dawn of an evolutionary cycle, in which replicators, within a pool of other, similar replicators, will survive, come to prominence and may die out in their due times, thus providing the basis of the evolution of life (Dawkins 206). Dawkins also states that man is different from other forms of life in that the rate of cultural transmission among humans is "orders of magnitude faster than genetic evolution" (Dawkins 203). Because memes are cultural replicators, then, it is to be noted that culture is in constant evolution via memes. Although this definition is given by Dawkins, it was not the only definition to be used in the last 30 years. Although memes are defined by Dawkins to be similar to genes, his view on the functionality and mechanisms of memes has itself been in evolution since the conception of memes. Scholars over the past decades have added to the concept of a meme several characteristics, such as teleology, different evolutionary perspectives (i.e. Darwinian or Lamarckian), complexity (such as the definition being a unit, a pattern of information and a memorable unit among others), and a need for a host (Diaz 94). It was recognized after Dawkins that memes needed hosts to survive and pass their form of information to others from another person, and might thus be characterized as either being a meme-gene (a gene-like meme), or a meme-virus (a virus-like meme). Meme-genes are akin to Dawkins original postulation of a meme, as they are a piece of information which spread generationally and are non-teleological,

Lazalde 3 having no purpose or desire to survive and are thus more Darwinian in their spreading. Memeviruses are agents which actively try to reproduce, giving them an element of teleology and making them available for study in the field of endemics and epidemiology (Diaz 95). Although there are multiple definitions and characteristics of memes in cultural transmission, internet memes encompass some of these aspects in their use and can be compared and modeled by the behavior of cultural memes. Carlos Diaz seeks to consolidate and apply a new definition of internet memes based on multiple scholars and popular definitions found online in his paper Defining and Characterizing the Concept of Internet Meme. The definition provided by Diaz will be the operational definition for internet memes given throughout the paper. He states that an internet meme is a unit of information (idea, concept or belief), which replicates by passing on via internet (e-mail, chat, forum, social networks, etc) in the shape of a hyperlink, video, image, or phrase. It can be passed on as an exact copy or can change and evolve (Diaz 97). Internet memes are much like the meme-viruses in that they have a goal (to be known well enough to replicate within a group), yet when they are mutated in replication, they need to conserve meaning and structure, but can take on different forms (Diaz 97-98) For example, the Doge memes meaning is to represent situations in ultra-simplistic grammar as if it were unintelligent internal dialogue of a dog, and its structure is an image of (any) Shiba Inu with text in comic sans. Doge can be manifested in different forms, as shown below, but the meaning and structure are retained

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Figure 1: An Original Doge Meme Structure and meaning (shiba inu, over-simplifiing grammar in comic sans as unintelligent internal dialogue) is retained in this mutation, but the form is modified with the face from the original photo in a comical context of Time Magazines Person of the Year painted portrait cover. From: http://static02.mediaite.com/geekosystem/uploads/2013/12/ time.jpg Figure 3: Video Game Playing Doge Meme

A typical Doge meme with the original Shibe picture with comic sans text describing a birthday celebration. This is an example of the original meme without mutation. From: http://i1.kymcdn.com/photos/images/original/000/728/964/023.jpg Figure 2: Time Person of the Year Doge Cover Meme The meaning and structure are again retained, but the form is further modified to a shiba inu (not necessarily the original photo) and a different context than the original photo. From: http://img.4plebs.org/boards/x/image/1376/41/1376416183 650.jpg

Other forms of the meme abound, such as GIFs and videos, yet they are incompatible with the medium of a paper to be presented. It can be seen how it is that the original meme is replicated, mutated, and transmitted through different mediums, all the while retaining its meaning. The most commonplace use of internet memes is that of some joke or parody, lending themselves to be used as comical relief. However, they may also be used in the context of argumentation or education, depending upon their mutation and the purposes of the individual creating the mutation. Memes can thus be removed from their usage as comical relief and can be used to communicate complex ideals via the retention of the meaning of a meme. This is

Lazalde 5 exemplified in the Facebook page Catholic Memes, a popular page with over 146,000 likes and edited by Ryan Scheel, Social Commentator, Catholic Apologist & Catholic Social Media consultant. (Spirited Internet Engineer) (Scheel). Through popular memes, the page spreads fundamental Catholic ideals. In the same way that Doge was taken out of its original context to be used in a Time Magazine cover in Figure 2, the structure and meaning of an internet meme are retained but put into a different context to convey different Catholic ideas, such as in figure 4 with the election of Pope Francis.
Figure 4. Poep Doge

In this Doge meme created right after Pope Francis election, Doge is used to s how some of the characteristics of election to the papal chair. Infallibility, preaching, sitting in the chair of St. Peter, and acting as the vicar of Christ are part of the office of the pope, and Doge includes these in the comic-sans internal dialogue. https://www.facebook.com/CatholicMemebase/photos/pb.100237920125959.2207520000.1396906574./252325408250542/?type=3&theater

In this way, internet memes can be used as a new form of communication used to not only educate and spread ideals, but argue and take up the rhetoric of those who create mutations of original memes. Due to the versatility of internet memes, they can be used, through their mutations, to communicate core ideas. Not only have advocates of Catholicism used memes as a way to spread their message, but so have lovers of history (History Memes, SPQRBall), Engineering (Engineering Memes), and others through Facebook pages used exclusively for different memes about a particular subject.

Lazalde 6 Internet Memes are thus able to supplement language, as they can provide the formulas of expression within a simplified internet culture. Through the use of particular memes with particular formulas, one can express a sentence or paragraph-long sentiment with a series of images, as is done in rage-comics (Shifman 173). As images are not language-specific, people from all over the world who are familiar with memes are able to utilize them and understand them due to their formulaic structure and meaning. Although the language the meme is presented in and its content changed based on local content, the general meaning and use of a meme can be integral to the spread of ideas. One such example is the use of the use of the Successful Black Man meme and its Israeli derivative Akiva, the Humanist Ultra-Orthodox Man. The original Successful Black Man meme is an image macro which features a well-dressed African American male with contradictory text found above and below the photo meant to make a joke out of stereotypes of black men in America. A similar mechanic is used in the Akiva meme except with a photo of an orthodox-Jew, this time showing the stereotype of an ultra-Orthodox Jew from the view of settlers of the West Bank. Both feature a structure of contradictory statements which makes the meaning of the meme a humorous play on stereotypes, forcing the reader to recognize that there is a negative stereotype present in the culture. Thus, an international understanding of the mechanics and structure of memes can prove to be a powerful factor in the international spread of ideas in todays globalized world if memes are re-contextualized to fit a particular argument or idea.
Figure 5: Typical Successful Black Man Meme Reading the text from top to bottom gives the reader a reversal of an expected outcome of text. Source: http://www.quickmeme.com/img/90/9020731ba6ad71919f 563bdfd686b595c449d7ac6ded795ad85cbd6765a139aa.jpg

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Figure 6: Typical Akiva meme

Text Translates as: In our house we never watch movies/that are lower quality than DVD-RIP Source: http://www.10gag.co.il/

Despite the usage of memes in these ways, one possible downfall of memes as a form of argument delivery is their very own life cycle. Unlike the words of a language which are able to maintain a meaning for many years at a time, internet memes cycle through a stage of growth, a zenith, and a decline in matters of weeks (Bauckhage, Hadiji, Kerstig 28). This rise and decline can be modeled through Google Trends reports, which depict the frequency at a certain period of time that a particular search term is searched for online. A study done by German Sociologists using these trends modeled the growth and decline of internet memes based on different mathematical models. Despite the usage of different models, all the models depended on the amount of attention given to a particular internet meme (Bauckhage, Hadiji, Kerstig 28). Additionally, it was shown that the total amount of attention gained by an internet meme at a time affected its growth later on, acting much like a drag force to the growth of the meme (Bauckhage, Hadiji, Kerstig 29). Thus, if attention to a meme is based on popularity, it could be noted that internet memes go in and out of usage very quickly, and even quicker so if they are very popular. The short lived nature of internet memes could be a hindrance to their use as a form of communication as a meme which was familiar to a group or person at one point may not

Lazalde 8 be familiar or applicable to a later audience. This can be especially true on more popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, where the meaning of some memes may have to be explained in order for the use of the meme to be understood (knowyourmeme.com). Although the meanings of memes may be unfamiliar to some, it is possible to gain experience and knowledge about internet memes in order to decipher the meaning of a particular meme. Sites such as Knowyourmeme and memegenerator have information on the usage and history of a particular meme, allowing many to familiarize themselves with memes and internet culture as a whole. (knowyourmeme.com). More often than not, links to knowyourmeme are often referenced when a particular unfamiliar meme is used and is unable to be identified or deciphered on social networking sites, allowing multiple people access to the information presented by the meme. Memes may have short lives, but the availability of databases and the permanent nature of the internet allow for the rapid familiarization of memes with even the newest internet user. Besides being a platform for information sharing, memes are also able to critique societal norms and ideals. According to Limor Shifman, internet memes may help us to decipher the contemporary political, cultural, and social processes (Shifman, 172). Due to the replicating and interactive nature of internet memes, political participation has become a part of the identity of internet memes and culture. Memes have been extensively used as a form of persuasion, grassroots actions, and as modes of expression and public discussion. It is important to note that there is a difference between viral media and internet memes. According to knowyourmeme, a piece of content that is passed from person to person, but does not evolve or change during the transmission process is considered viral content, whereas an internet meme is something that mutates and changes along its transmission from person to person (knowyourmeme.com). Viral

Lazalde 9 content is primarily used in campaign efforts such as the Obama election campaign of 2008, yet movements such as the Occupy Wallstreet movement and Arab Spring employed internet memes as a way to mobilize and coordinate large groups of people (Shifman 129). Shared slogans and other frameworks provide avenues for variation and participation in public, collective actions while maintaining individuality. Examples of these are countermemes, which often provide satire of corporations or organizations the politically charged group opposes (Shifman 130). Thus, memes provide the avenue for subversion and the expression of ideas via formulated structures and meanings, ultimately opposing or advocating certain political positions. Although relatively new, memes have provided a new form of widely accessible and formulaic form of communication on the internet. Much like the Egyptians or other cultures used pictograms or hieroglyphs to tell their stories, internet memes are able to tell the stories of communities on the internet in order to share ideals and opinions. These simple photos and text are able to communicate complex ideals through structures and meanings widely known across the culture of the internet. As the internet expands and is come to be used by more individuals, the scope and utility will also expand, leading to more variation and wider usage of what was once thought of as only much funny.

Lazalde 10 Works Cited Bauckhage, Christian, Hadiji, Fabian, Kersting, Kristian. "Mathematical Models of Fads Explain the Temporal Dynamics of Internet Memes" The Seventh International Conference on Weblogs and Social Media. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The AAAI Press, 2013. 22-30. Print. Castao Diaz, Carlos Mauricio. "Defining and Characterizing the Concept of Internet Meme." Revista CES Psicologa 6.1 (2013): 82-104. Revistas Cientficas Universidad CES. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. Dawkins, Richard. The Selfish Gene. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1976. Print. Know Your Meme, Internet Meme Database. Cheezburger, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. <http://knowyourmeme.com/>. Scheel, Ryan. "Catholic Memes."Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/CatholicMemebase?fref=ts>. Shifman, Limor. Memes in Digital Culture. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press, 2013. Print.