Memes. Such an interesting word when you say it to yourself over and over again.. Also interesting that memes have recently made a huge appearance in social media of all kinds. I think many people struggle to understand what a meme really is, but honestly it can be anything someone wants it to be. One of my professors last semester started off the class saying, “Please just inform me first if you are going to make me into some sort of meme.” He said this because he knew the power of them and the frequency at which they are spread.
After reading Heidi Huntington’s “Subversive Memes: Internet Memes as a Form of Rhetoric”, I found myself thinking back to the many memes that have been ingrained in my mind from people posting and sharing them repetitively. It seems that almost all memes have more of a purpose than just to receive a laugh from an audience member; they are created strategically to represent an idea and to sway an audience. Memes, like any other form of rhetoric, serve a purpose designed by the author themselves.
Huntington wrote something that stood out to me when she said that “in countries that lack opportunity for democratic process, the use of memes to express dissent is akin to a public protest assembly (Mina, 2012, para. 8).” I thought this was a very interesting point as I find a lot of truth in it. I think memes have allowed people, whether in a country that honors democracy or not, to express theiropinion without reprimand. They can simply be a parody on a pop culture reference, or even be highly political but are more accepted by the general public when in the form of a meme, helping them reach a broader target audience.
Above is a meme referencing both Bob Ross and Donald Trump. The audience for this specific meme is almost everyone of my generation (and older), as Bob Ross is really popular currently, especially on social media and in memes. The audience does get narrowed down as clearly this is a highly political meme with potential controversy here. The audience also contains those who are politically active or may feel strongly against our current president. Bob Ross is known to be overly positive and optimistic, always saying his painting mistakes are “happy little accidents.” This is depicting Trump as being so nonchalant and happy with the fact that he is building a giant wall between the U.S. and our neighbors. Obviously, this meme can get deep quickly as it sparks political conversation by just using parody and humor mixed with political issues that are prevalent today.
Memes can be such sneaky little devils.
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It’s pretty crazy seeing how much memes have blown up in social media these past few years and how many different templates exist today. I agree with how memes can be anything because there’s so many random and questionable memes that makes me just totally wtf. I thought it was funny how your professor said that and I’d definitely take him up on that offer and create the best memes of him. I think the meme you chose to analyze was efficient, as there are two polar opposite public figures so I can definitely see how this may cause controversy. Your analysis was very much adequate as you explained information about who Bob Ross is in case people may not know him. Overall great blog post!
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I like the quote that you picked out from the reading and I also agree with you and the author. I feel that people can express any idea into a meme format and it will be taken light-heartedly. For example, I always laugh at political memes even if they are really serious. I feel that people can express even their craziest beliefs and if it is put into a meme format, the internet will just take it as a joke.
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I think I really related to what you were saying when I was blogging as well. The truth that people can “hide behind the screens” can come out when we see memes use. I like when you said “I think memes have allowed people to express their opinion without reprimand” I think that has the most truth in it. I see it as a way to say what you wanna say and get someones attention without even having “evidence” to back yourself up. The most non-credible sources possible can make memes and create the biggest impacts. Due to memes having little to no words, there is really no room for explanation, which can be necessary when a very controversial or offensive meme becomes popular.
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Memes are shared just to be funny, but I definitely agree that most memes have a subtle message in what is being shared. A meme always has a purpose, and it isn’t necessarily bad, just that there is a goal behind creating it. I liked that you talked more about memes and their purpose and provided an example of one, rather than just discussing the meme. The meme that you shared of Bob Ross and Donald Trump was a good choice as it shows the humor masking the political meaning behind it.
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