Honestly, this was my actual reaction when I  heard the use of memes in class and I don’t regret it. You see, last week our favorite  CT101 professor has introduced me to creating memes.

I will be very honest… I’ve been using the site to create memes a lot ever since he showed it.  I have created most inside jokes in my friend group but here are my favorite ones I made for this class.

Pretty good, right?

Anyways time for the important, ARE  MEMES ART??

Now for the straightforward answer. Yes, but there is something about memes as art is very interesting. If you look at the video below,  the person came to talk about memes’ relevance in art and came to points that I’ve been thinking about for years.

Not online memes are important in our society but in art as well, because back then not everyone couldn’t afford to learn how to read (crazy right?) so they would paint and express emotions as you can see with paintings of people with funny expressions.  

It tells a story through its visual representation. Just like memes, most of the time they’re funny pictures but there are some that are connected to actual issues in society.

Were in a time when we can’t really see the story or meaning in a painting but we can express our feelings about it through memes. it is a part of our culture now and art is subjective. Heck, even NFTs are seen as art.

There could be a difference between memes and meme art, showing a visual story.

Memes are so underappreciated, only seeing it as a joke which is unfortunate.

Why thank you Bob for pointing out what I said. Anyways I would like to thank our professor Ryan Seslow for showing me to create our own memes.

WAIT!

I forgot to show some of my favorite memes, I just like showing some of my memes.

Okay, so that’s what ill show you, thank you guys for reading this blog! Till next time!!

MEMES and HYPERLINKS, OH MY!!!

This particular meme reminds me of my behavior at times while learning how to master certain functions on the computer. It can be quite intimidating at times for me. Nonetheless, it has made me come out of hiding. Thus far this journey that I’ve been traveling, has been and still is very fulfilling!! I’m peeping, I’m checking the situation out. I can surlythat I am intrigued. https://www.google.com/search?q=what+does+the+word+attest+mean&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiovIHfj6n6AhWCunIEHcLSDukQ2-cCegQIABAA&gs_ivs=1&oq=show+me+the+meaning+of+attest&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAVAAWABgAGgAcAB4AIABAIgBAJIBAJgBAKoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1n&sclient=img&ei=_LUsY6jOD4L1ytMPwqW7yA4&bih=583&biw=1203#imgrc=tUBnJq_3KR5VjM&lns=W251bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsIkVrY0tKRGc1TnpVNE5UY3dMV0ZpWldNdE5HTTFOeTA0TkRrekxUWmtZV1ppWXpReE9EY3haQklmWnkwMlVIWjFTVzlaYmxWalJVWkRjWGQ0VEhKTVVEYzJORFJvY1U1b1p3PT0iLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLDEsbnVsbCxbbnVsbCxudWxsLFs2MTA5MywyNzkxMiw1MDAwMCwzNzUwMF0sbnVsbCxudWxsXSxudWxsXQ==

Are Memes a Form of Art?

Many people question if memes are a form of art. Let’s examine what is referenced about this matter by doing an internet search. This is what Google had to say: https://www.google.com/search?q=are+memes+a+form+of+Art&gs_ivs=1#tts=0

This is what Youtube had to say: https://www.google.com/search?q=what+does+YouTube+say+about+memes+being+a+form+of+Art&sxsrf=ALiCzsZOiM3Dm62s6803O95e5TBfl3LZkQ%3A1663868903829&ei=558sY5ecMoXQ5NoPhJ2AmAM&oq=what+does+YouTube+have+to+say+about+memes&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EBJKBAhBGABKBAhGGABQAFgAYABoAHABeACAAQCIAQCSAQCYAQCgAQY&gs_ivs=1&sclient=gws-wizhttps://youtu.be/b9Zyswk07vghttps://youtu.be/b9Zyswk07vg?t=14

This information comes come creative blogg.com: https://www.google.com/search?q=show+me+a+platform+that+talks+about+means+being+an+art+form&sxsrf=ALiCzsZ9D4ofYy6WN7i2MF_vBV4sfS4daQ%3A1663868933299&ei=BaAsY__uEbKi5NoPyriYIA&oq=what+does+YouTube+say+about+memes+being+a+form+of+Art&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EBJKBAhBGABKBAhGGABQAFgAYABoAHAAeACAAQCIAQCSAQCYAQCgAQY&gs_ivs=1&sclient=gws-wiz

Some may ask if memes can be used for story telling? I believe that they can. What’s so amazing is that memes can be personalized from one’s own gallery or platform. Many folks have done stunning art designs with the usage of memes. If done correctly, it may take the place of children’s fable stories and animation.  Is it not true that most children’s books and the funny papers display silly graphic visual art stimuli? It has been many decades that these two commodities have been desired. Just as the energizer bunny keeps going and going, memes too will share this aspect.  Actually; as I’m going along with this presentation, I am doing my best to tell  a story using memes.  Let me know what you think!!!

https://makeameme.org/meme/pondering-about-this

So delightfully serious minded. Einstein was a creator, and all creations are a form of art. Satnavs and Google maps are two major inventions derived from Einstein’s discoveries. Satellite navigation system {satnavs} and smartphone map apps give us the quickest route to a destination of your choice.   https://www. thalesgroup.com>  Now ain’t that a kick in the head?

https://imgflip.com/memegenerator/394545514/Head-kick

Now if the above memes are not a form of self expression, then I just don’t know what is. In every aspect of life, there is good and bad. The internet itself is a mighty tool that has done so much good for many. It is a fast paced tool that brings rewards and downfalls for individuals.

During my last class, Professor Seslow introduced the class to memes and hyperlinks. I will not ever take credit away from my professors teaching capabilities, and I couldn’t even if I tried. Seslow is indeed just that good at what he does! Nonetheless, he has also instructed the class to use the internet if someone becomes confused or stuck with a task that is given in an assignment. Professor Seslow insists that we expand our techniques and skills of digital storytelling by the use of the internet. I think  that I’ll explore some more. Hey, that kinda rhymes. Massive Kool!!!!!

                    Are Memes Here To Stay?

I believe that memes are here to stay and also play a very instrumental part in the art and marketing industry. When people were drawing on the sides of buildings, trains, etc., it was considered graffiti, and shunned for many years due to the lack of permission of its use.

https://www.google.com/search?q=graffiti&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiMweWKiqn6AhUpFlkFHb33CMAQ2-cCegQIABAA&gs_ivs=1&oq=what+is+a+meme&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAVAAWABgAGgAcAB4AIABAIgBAJIBAJgBAKoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1n&sclient=img&ei=DbAsY8yGHKms5NoPve-jgAw&bih=583&biw=1203#imgrc=COFZPLgxj_xnEM

Due to the Accurate Knowledge and Uses of Memes and Hyperlinks

                                                 BUT RIGHT NOW……I’M

Me putting CT 101 on my fall schedule:

As my title, I’m here because I needed an elective but it turned out to be the highlight of my semester. This is one of the best elective’s I’ve taken.

One thing about meeeee……I’ll drop a class in a heart beat

No stress, no headache for Franny! ESPECIALLY, not an elective.

Me on schedule builder after finding out the professor is a nut post first lecture.

True story: A couple semesters ago, I had a teacher ask who don’t wanna be here

ANDDDDDD……

Then she escorted me right to the department office and got me into a new class.

That had to be about the nicest thing a professor  has done for me!

It just wasn’t a good fit and there was no hard feelings.

—–STORY TIME OVER—

ANYWAYYYYSS! I definitely hit the jackpot choosing CT 101! I enjoyed week #3 soooo much! We had such edifying conversation and every one had something to share. The CT101 class room is def a space of growth and vulnerability.

I love that professor Ryan makes the classroom a safe space to discuss our issues and to ask for help.

One new thing I learned about was Imgur. Before my the last class, I didn’t know Imgur even existed…..

I knowwww……stop judging meeee

But giphy has been my go too since highschool. I love me a good Gif and I’m learning how to use them better and finding the ones that express EXACTLY how I feel.

I love that I’m going to come out of this class a full on blogger.

I’m looking forward to learning more tech stuff and applying it to different parts of my life.It’s all new to but me, but since this has shown to be a safe space, I am eager to learn all this class has to offer. Im very happy to be sharing my thoughts on this platform!

Who knows I might start my own blog tonight!

I love it here and I’m here for all the learning opportunities!

Im committed to this learning process.

“Whatever you might do, work from the soul, as to the Lord and not to men,” Colossians 3:23

Be safe, Be great yall ✨

My first initial thought for CT101 was “YES! Another possible art medium AND it’s online B)”

But then I got a notification that we would meet in person on the 30th of August.

I thought the first day was very interesting. Everyone in the class is so diverse and so open to one another and everyone was willing to participate (except me :D).

Though, I rarely talk in class, other than to greet Ryan in the morning,

It’s interesting to hear what everyone has to say.

Not to mention all the nodding I do.

Hearing about the course and its creative content has gotten me super engaged since day one. It’s very different than ANY classes I’ve taken. It’s where I still kind of have to use basic grammar and English but in everyone’s blog, it’s different, it has its own personality, its own flavor. 

Even the instructions for the assignments makes me want to read the assignment over and over again.

& no it’s not because nothing is processing my brain

I really thought that CT101 required less thinking than my other classes. But so far, it’s the class that really takes up most of my critical thinking :D. Just like in any other art media, I find different subjects and tend to not know where to start. Here, it’s a bit more challenging because not only do I have to have a great title and hook, I HAVE TO HAVE A GREAT MEME TOO!

It really challenges me to find something interesting to talk about in order to engage the audience, but I hope I’ve been doing well.

r i g h t ?

There is so much creative potential in the class. As I mentioned earlier, finding a topic or something to engage the readers in your blog could be one. Another is having, or making, funny gifs. (Which in my opinion, Giphy really does god works because this gif doesn’t even make sense but it was so easy to make through Giphy) 

and it has a variety for the text and the colors

see:

Honestly, I feel g o d l y.

Of course, you can learn these Internet Tools using Google, but at the same time who would ever think to do something like this. I’m more of a paper-and-pencil type of person but since I’ve learned new skills using technology, it gives me another way to express myself in a way I would’ve never chosen before taking this class.

ty <3

This is quite an interesting yet taboo debate starter.

I feel like a lot of internet users would probably roll their eyes, and a lot of no internet users would tilt their heads in.

Some younger artists would probably shrug and say “Yeah” but some older artists will snort and hold an elitist position before saying “Absolutely not”.

I think our opinions on this question are based on generation and perspective.

If you talked to a person in ancient Greece they’d say writing is a destructive concept and will never be considered an art form like oral linguistics.

If you talked to a painter at the dawn of the photograph they will say photography is derivative and will never be an art form like painting.

Even today many artists don’t consider video games an art form.

This argument is new, yet the fundamentals of it are nearly as old as history itself.

Memes, in general are a means of  spreading cultural information spread through imitation.

The term was first used in a book called “The Selfish Gene” by Richard Dawkins.

If any of you readers play a lot of video games I feel like you’ve heard of this terminology from somewhere else.

Since Memes are units of information that could be spread through ideas, behaviors and actions, Internet Memes an extension of this idea.

They spread units of cultural information, through images, text, and even sound.

You can often find all of these combining.

In that sense, Internet Memes take units of cultural information and spread them.

I think that Memes are an unappreciated form of art closely related to collage art which people also are on the fence about as an art form.

I define art as a form of expression that stimulates the senses and warps our perception of reality.

When you see a painted portrait of a person that’s merely a collection of colors that we perceive as a person.

So when people say that memes are just images or a collection of images with text, there’s not much separating them from a painting.

We use materials to make art.

Art, in a way, is also a meme. It’s the primary way to spread cultural information.

The Mona Lisa for example is practically iconic so much so that it is often emmultaed in others works.

Another example is Superman. He is the first superhero to ever be created and set a standard for what heroes would and can be.

Internet Memes are an artform and art itself is a meme.

So should we see Memes in Museums? Are we going to see a Reddit post elegantly framed on a museum wall?

In fact, I’d argue that they shouldn’t.

Museums are like pedal stools but they also act as a way to separate art from the people.

Internet Memes are the people’s art.

They are publically accessible and easy to find and I think putting them in such a close-off, monetizable, and elite space strips them of their appeal and their power.

That’s also why I’m so opposed to selling Memes as NFTs. Because it’s almost degrading and hypocritical to trade and distribute memes as a way to benefit the elite.

It strips the modesty and humility of the medium. That’s probably why a lot of people that make memes won’t admit that it’s art because art sounds like a grand subject and the title of artist sounds elite.

It’s almost like displaying graffiti in a museum. The appeal of graffiti is how counter-cultural it is and Museums, whether you agree or disagree represent everything against the counter-culture.

It becomes a symbol of status.

My Top Meme

3. YTMND 

This meme makes me feel really old. I thought that one got taken down

2. E

1. The Eternal Meme

This meme will probably outlast all of us.

YEP! thats the exact face I made on the first day of class. I truly did not realize what I had signed myself up for. I was recommended on taking this course by a friend and her exact words were “It will be fun”. Of course she would recommend a class based fully on technology an all the amazing things you can do with it to the most non tech person!

After leaving class confused and stressed on how I would be able to do all this, I decided I was going to stay positive and maybe….just maybe……I could become somewhat tech savy and complete each assignment.

After giving myself a pep talk, and realizing how helpful and willing the professor is to make sure we understand each assignment my confidence has been definitely boosted!

SOOOOOO….. I think I’m getting the hang of it all! who would have thought!

Moral of the story……

CT101 has  made learning fun and has taught me more tech savy techniques in a few weeks than I probably would have ever learned.

Now I’m not the greatest blogger but I am trying and working on improving with each post and for that I am grateful for this course.

Just like the history of Giphy… I am evolving and improving each day!

When i first walked into this class, the classroom caught my interest. Most college course classes do not have a bunch of apple computers and tv screens in them. At least for me!! LOL.

I am a health science major concentrated in nursing so just imagine my classrooms.

Shoutout to the professor. His demeanor and enthusiasm about the class created an exciting feeling for me. Creating content is very popular in society nowadays. I loved hearing about the course and what it would consist of. It made me excited to learn how to blog and create memes and gifs and more because that is very trendy right now.

Platforms like Instagram and Facebook gives people the opportunity to create content in many different ways and create profit. That is awesome!

One thing about social media and our phones, older people may see us young people as “addicted.” I highly disagree with that. In society now there are hundredssss of ways to make money off of our phones. Yes there is such thing as a phone addiction, but it is not cool to assume that.

Me personally i have heard that phrase a lot and 95% of the time i am doing something important or work/school related on my phone (emails, applications, banking, communicating with jobs..etc).

No I am not a phone zombie LOL

Compared to my other classes, this class takes the cake! This class gives me space to express myself creatively and on the internet. How great! My other classes consist of health, sexuality and philosophy (great to learn, but not creative).

The creative potentials of this class is endless. I am pretty sure we are able to learn a lot in this class. The creation and idea of GIF is genius! We are now able to take videos and compress into a short video, animation style and utilize on different internet platforms without taking up a lot of storage. According to Lorraine Boissoneault “The way it worked was to identify repeating patterns, then simplify them, allowing for lossless compression of files—meaning none of the data is trimmed in the shortening process” (2).

I feel excited about learning new skills that use internet tools. I definetly see myself using this knowledge in life.

Are Internet Memes ART? 

Let’s discuss! You know that you want to!

**The class video recording and tutorial for this assignment is posted below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/ZuwpEQcb7mOXgKpxjnIaVcmDb_-JnHBILq9dp9SEonqV-Oavfo6pqvPLlXtT3qo9.qBZyRXHg9odVoid-

Passcode: ^7h3Z!QC

First – lets screen the video above together and then later read the hyperlinked articles below for more context.

Second – The Assignment #3 Details: A New Blog Post is in order.

Assignment #3 – Are MEME’s ART?

Start by doing an Internet search for; “Are memes ART?”

See what you discover, gather those website links and be prepared to 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.

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! (thats your assignment!) 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

The Wiki Definition(s)

A good synopsis via how-to-geek.com

Another Take via theVerge.com

Are Memes the Pop Culture Art of our Era? Kate Knibbs

(I know, I know, its a dream come true assignment!)

Have fun!

My CT101 Exp

I was interested in taking CT101 because Communications technology is my minor and I’ve always loved technology.

So far the class has piqued my interest starting with the first day as it came to seem like a realistic class unlike some of my other classes that have unrealistic and an overall annoying, forced learning environment.

I can’t wait to learn more about this class because so far I feel like I will actually utilize the information. In my opinion definitely more valuable than the Pythagorean theorem.

I was really pleased with my first day for CT101. To me, this is all very new but yet very exciting and definitely nothing like classes i’ve taken before. I already love the environment and the material we get to discuss and work on in class. Walking into a whole different field than what I was used to was so interesting.. Almost like a cultural shock ( not really but i hope you get the point! ) The environment, professors and people bring such a different energy. It really does make my learning experience better. Ryan Selsow has already  been an amazing Professor and i can’t wait for this journey ! 

Hearing about the course and its creative content makes me feel very excited ! To go deeper into what I mentioned before, I am currently a senior in and I have changed my major 4 times now and I honestly feel like this was the field for me. I’m excited to work and study material that I find interesting ( finally !) 

This class compares to NOTHING to my old classes. The previous majors I was in were in the business field. I started from Social Work to Aviation Management to Business to now CT. ( Hoping this is the one LOL) One thing they all had in common was none of those classes were interactive. All we did was read textbooks, weekly quizzes and repeat. For me, I can’t enjoy learning when its like that. Just week 3 and that’s definitely not how this class or any Ct classes are which i’m very pleased about !

Editing, creating anything to do with being creative I absolutely love and appreciate so much. Ever since I was little, I was always the “good one” with technology. Every single family member would come to me to fix the simplest things ( like even turning the wifi on ). In middle school I would make random videos and edit them on Imovie just for fun.  Learning different internet tools/skills is definitely what i look most forward too. 

Who would have thought that I found a class just as fun as CT101?  I’m a studio art major wanting to expand my skills, I’m good with digital art but if I have to be honest I never knew about  Communication Technology.

I know I know, I only knew about studio art since I am a transfer student. Walking into the first day, well I was a bit late but that’s beside the point. I walked in expecting a very serious class and teacher but that was the opposite. Ryan is a  pretty chill teacher, he very welcoming and a pretty cool teacher to talk to. Not to mention the class felt very welcoming to people who are in different majors and technological skills.

So far  CT101 is a pretty chill class so far compared to my other classes where I have multiple projects at once each other is more time-consuming than the others which makes my brain hurt.

I feel like I have a lot of creative potential in the project as well since we’re able to use this to help us to express how we feel with gifs. It’s also fun to try and mix and matches gifs to make a story in a sense. I also feel that learning internet skills tools is helpful because I can use these techniques in the future.

Till next time!!

So as you can tell from the title before now I had never heard of Communications Technology as a major. I had studied architecture since I was about 8 years old and it was my major in college for 2 years. Considering my experience with a creative major being a soul-sucking drag before now I was not expecting the first day to be as fun as it was.

But the fact that Ryan listens to us and makes sure to treat us as more than just students on a roster creates cool energy in the class. When he told us about the homework style and the fact that there was no set schedule or due dates to stress over I was elated!!

The fact that we get to blog as homework is the coolest thing ever and I’m excited to see what all of us wind up making in the future. This class helps to stretch my creative thought process which is a muscle I haven’t flexed in a while, to be honest XD.

Having a class that allows me to express myself is what I was looking for in a major. So far this has felt like the perfect blend of learning and showing off skills that we may already have which is most likely more than I do in math.

This assignment in particular has been an exciting learning experience. Finding out that the history of gifs is a long and complicated trail of copyright laws, boycotts, and intellectual properties is something I was expecting. What caught me off guard, however, was the amount of individuality the gif has now. I also didn’t expect it to be 30 years old.

I was pleased to learn that oxford had to weigh in on the gif vs jif war even if they only made it worse by declaring both valid. I’ll of course still say gif because it makes the most sense.

But learning how to make these supposedly simple gifs were the hardest part for me. I didn’t expect to have so much difficulty getting the loops that I wanted, let alone thinking of the material I wanted to loop in the first place. The internet normally comes second-hand to me but this genuinely made me draw a blank. I welcome the challenge of course but in the end, was not able to make all of the gifs that I wanted to.

I found both Imgur and Giphy a little difficult to navigate but in the end, I’ll probably use them for different sources. Imgur is easier for gifs that are a bit longer but Giphy is better for short clips. I look forward to experimenting more with both and learning to be an active participant in internet culture. But that’s all I have for now. Ciao Y’all!!