Are Internet Memes ART?
Let’s discuss!
You know that you want to!
Here is the class recording from Tuesday 2/28:
Passcode: .r$0qUAt
Here is the class recording from Thursday 2/16:
Passcode: 9rSaA..^
First – lets screen the video above together and then later read the hyperlinked articles below for more context. (hint hint – > You should re-watch this video outside of class and reference it in your blog post 🙂
Second – The Assignment #3 Details: A New Blog Post is in order.
Memes have become an integral part of the online world, with new memes constantly popping up on social media platforms like Reddit, Tik Tok, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. But where did these funny images and phrases come from, and how did they become such a popular form of communication? Let’s explore the history of memes and how they have evolved into a unique form of internet communication.
The origins of the modern-day meme can be traced back to the early days of the internet. In the late 1990s, internet users began sharing images and text that had been altered or repurposed in a humorous way. These early memes were often created by hand and circulated on message boards and email chains. The first memes were simple and crude, but they paved the way for the more complex and sophisticated memes we see today.
One of the first internet memes to gain widespread popularity was the “Dancing Baby” in 1996. The Dancing Baby was a 3D animation of a baby that appeared in a television show called “Ally McBeal.” The animation was manipulated and turned into a looping GIF that was shared online. The Dancing Baby became a viral sensation, and its popularity sparked the creation of other memes like “All Your Base Are Belong to Us”
Over the years, memes have evolved into a complex and multifaceted form of communication. Today, memes are often used to convey complex emotions, comment on current events, and even express political views. Memes are a way for people to connect and communicate online, and they often reflect the cultural and social trends of the moment.
One of the most fascinating aspects of memes is the way they spread and evolve. Memes are often created by one person, but they can quickly be adopted and transformed by others. Memes can go through a process of evolution as they are shared and re-shared, with each iteration adding new layers of meaning and humor.
Assignment #3 – Are MEME’s ART?
Let’s write a new blog post ->
***be sure to re-read the assignment criteria and work along side of it to make sure that you are including all aspects of the assignment***
Start by doing an Internet search for; “Are memes ART?”
See what you discover, gather those website links and share them in your new post. (at least 2-3 should be fairly easy to find)
No matter how you cut it, memes are here to stay… but is this good or bad for Art? Is this good or bad for communication? Are memes simply just forms of self-expression? Or are they MORE? Well, why or why not? I want to know what you think.
Can MEMEs be used for storytelling? If so, How? Explain how they are used in your experience here on the Web. Back up your answers with MEMEs and a statement.
Let’s create a compelling way to share our responses! Remember to pay attention to the good blogging skills list example in last week’s post?
And by all means plan to create, search for, discover and share your favorite existing Memes via an image or URL, or embed them into your new blog post for this coming week. You must share at least 3 of your favorite all time MEMEs in this post.
How will you craft a narrative between using Memes and your own personal experiences?
**Oh, and, you MUST create at least 2-4 of your own memes to express your sentiments for our CT101 class! Be sure to include the words: “CT101” in your meme!
Perhaps, you will say “CT101 be like…”
OR, “What if I told you that CT101….”
All of this nestles quite well into in new Blog post! Please consider the formatting of this blog post that you are reading right now. Notice how we see a mixture of images, video and hyperlinks that help give context and reference to where we are drawing resources from.
Some Online Tools for making Memes:
Giphy.com – (create a free account)
Imgur.com – (create a free account)
Make a Meme – work with some of the Internet’s classic templates
Are there others that you know of? Please share them in your post!
More Insight on MEMEs:
Read the articles below and be sure to reference them for context in your post!
Thrillist top 100 memes of all time
A good synopsis via how-to-geek.com
Are Memes the Pop Culture Art of our Era? Kate Knibbs
(I know, I know, its a dream come true assignment!)
Have fun!
This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
In response to Professor Seslows post:
1st meme -“dancing baby” – dislike, looks more like creepy baby, but I can appreciate the technology behind it and how cool that must have been for the beginning of meme culture. I am sure “dancing baby” enhanced the internet revolution of expressing with memes. Again, I appreciate it, but it’s still looking creepy.
2nd meme reference – “all bases” – dislike, feels dated, reminded me of terrible graphics from the early 2000s, which, as someone who has been studying graphic design for the past two years, it now feels painful to look at bad graphics (including BlackBoard and CUNYfirst)
Spiderman meme – LIKE!!! Now, this meme I can get on board with, no textbooks? whaaaat?? I am a textbook kid, and I still feel the pain in my lower back from carrying A&P textbooks in the 90s. Looking at this meme makes me so happy we have gone digital – for physical reasons, ouch!!!