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Memeology 101 with Dank Davidson

Before beginning the class on memes, I had probably been exposed to five different types of memes simply scrolling through my Facebook feed. From the start of my day, I had seen around 20. Every couple of weeks, a new meme emerges, sweeping social media (especially Twitter) by storm, and creating new ways for people to communicate with one another. I would say it’s getting out of hand, and there’s an over saturation in the meme market, if it weren’t for the fact that I enjoy 95% of them, and there can never be enough.

Just like emojis, memes are a way for a person to express themselves in a more humorous, light-hearted, simple, and Internet-savvy manner. However, the key difference is in what they communicate. While emojis best convey one’s emotions or feelings, memes are better at conveying one’s thoughts, opinions, and even lifestyle. Throughout my life, I can experience most, if not all, of the feelings each emoji represents, but only select memes will apply to me in the same lifetime. As Davidson references, memes convey a behaviour, and not everyone behaves the same or similarly. But emojis convey emotions, which everyone understands and experiences according to the situation at hand.

Not only do memes have less affordances than emojis in regards to what they communicate, but also in regards to when they should be used to communicate. While emojis cover the entire spectrum from happy to sad to mad, and can be used in both fun and serious circumstances, memes usually come with or give off a joking connotation. If I was having a serious discussion with Mama Kalra over failing a course, emojis (such as these 😥 👎🏽 😭 😕) may be thrown into the discussion and assist in conveying my take on the matter, and how upset I am over it. However, if I were to throw in a meme, no matter how relevant, it can easily give off the impression I am not taking the situation seriously.

Interestingly enough, I believe the reason behind the appropriate times to use a meme have to do with Davidson’s break down, and how they all come together. Though one may intend to use a meme to convey a more serious ideal, it may be due to the manifestation attached that detracts from the overall effect. On the flip side, one may be using a meme with a more serious manifestation, but due to the behaviour and environment it is used in, the severity of the manifestation image reduces in quality.

At the end of the day, memes are still a hilarious part of everyday life and interaction between people. But when broken down to individual parts (as Davidson outlines) or compared to the other ways in which we replace simple (text based) communication, there is much more to consider and discuss. 

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The Early 2000s Was Nut1

When considering emojis, a majority of people may associate the term with its use and functionality through texting and social media communication, stemming from its addition to iOS and Android OS. However, back in my day, emojis were actually referred to as emoticons (despite what Hern says. Sorry Hern). 

This isn’t to say that Hern’s definition or distinction between the two is incorrect. But rather, based on the distinction he makes, what my peers and I considered to be emoticons was actually the early times of emojis. Only difference is the medium where all of this confusion occurred; MSN Messenger. Before it’s uncalled for demise, MSN was the only platform on which my friends and I used pictorial representations (emojis) based on the emotions we typed out (emoticons, ie. :D). 

We just called them emoticons instead. And if I’m being quite honest, they’ll always be emoticons in my heart (long live MSN). 

Nostalgic loyalties aside, the one thing I still find great about how MSN employed emojis is in regard to the ability for a user to create their own custom emoji. Platforms like Snapchat have employed such a practice through the use of Bitmojis (smh), but MSN seemed to do it best. The process was easy for people of all ages, users could create a custom set for download, and you could make it out of anything or anyone. 

In my experience, the power of these customizable emojis was so grand that my cousins and I still use the text shortcut for a custom emoji of a head shaking uncontrollably, spazzing out, in our present day messaging. When we typed in, ‘nut1,’ in MSN, the custom, head spazz emoji would pop up. After its end, we would still frequently message each other with, ‘nut1,’ despite the fact that no emoji would take its place, irregardless of that specific one. But we knew what the other person was referring to and trying to convey. The one emoji changed our way of communicating to a degree.

This brings me to exploring the idea of emojis being able to completely take over language. Sternbergh discusses the idea of emojis being able to convey thoughts and emotions just as well as text and provides examples of people translating books (texts) strictly into emojis. Though I can’t foresee all traces of text being eradicated, based on personal experience and my perusing of social media, it can practically be used just as much, if not more, for a sense of efficiency and aesthetics. 

I feel like it can even go to the point (if not already there), where using text will be seen as more personal and caring than one using an emoji. While I could see a picture of bae and write, “😍,” bae might be more flattered or touched if i took the time to write, “Wow, you look beautiful, you are so bae, bae.” Do they mean the same thing? Essentially, yes. But its almost like emojis are so common place now, and used to replace speech to even this romantic of a degree, that using text shows more care and attachment. Likely because it can now be perceived as, the old way, or in other words, outdated. 

All I know, whatever they’re called now, I await the day I can customize the small icons into whatever I want (aka nut1, I need nut1 back). That, or MSN can just come back already 👀 😏

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Netprov: Entering the Matrix and Learning Inception

Though I had never taken part of a netprov before, I was excited to go into it based on my extensive experience with improv, and social media as a whole. It was basically an assignment that may as well have read, “Earn marks for acting a fool on Twitter, aka what you do every day.” Just as long as it was under a character’s name. So being anonymous...it was actually better.

While I did not find it challenging to improvise Tweets on the spot or in the moment, I had moments where it was difficult to aptly read into and represent the character. There were many times where I had to adjust my phrasing to give off a better sense of Riley (my character). While I am a 4th year, more cynical male, the character I was portraying (for the Netprov) was a 1st year, more optimistic and cheery female. I find this interesting now because it is basically a clash between the very first two characteristics we learned about; I easily fulfill the second characteristic of improvising, but had to adjust it contextually to fit the first characteristic of being prose fiction and driving the fictional character’s narrative.

Throughout the netprov, and especially when writing the paper, I felt more of these contradictions between characteristics. I questioned if it was truly considered to be occurring in real time since we were addressing a past time (moving in, orientation week, etc.) Furthermore, even if it were to be considered to be occurring in real time because the Tweets were occurring in the present day (on a day to day basis), can this then contradict the improvised nature because I am still structuring the tweet to a degree? Improv is supposed to be in the moment, no real thought more than say 5 seconds, but I could spend minutes trying to accurately represent my character 🤔

Although I’m sure not all characteristics have to ring true or be 100% accurate for the netprov to be considered a netprov, reading so deeply into it on a point by point level seemed to take away from the immersion. However, there were many times during the roleplay where none of these technicalities really mattered. Even now, looking back at it as a whole, I feel as though it can aptly be considered a true netprov so long as those participating felt they portrayed a different character on social media, and did so in a more, “on the spot,” manner. Where one can state social media is to represent one’s self (identity) online, the netprov can completely go against this idea, as it is where one is on social media representing a fictional self (identity). From that perspective, it as though social media bred a sub section with the purpose to ignore or go against social media’s original purpose. 

This may as well be The Matrix or Inception or something. Neo? Leo(’s character)? That you?

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For Harambe

During the discussion about trolling, there was a point where I made the distinction between what I considered a troll and a shitposter, and how I feel the characteristics of what classifies a troll is more becoming of the characteristics of a shitposter. In class, we looked at a Twitter user going by @dril​, and it went on to remind me of a Twitter celebrity of sorts, also known for his onslaught of shitposts. 

He goes by BRANDON WARDELL, and through his unpredictable Twitter antics (shitposting), he has amassed a cult following and been launched into some sort of stardom, being recognized by Hollywood celebrities.

I first started following Wardell around the same time many of his other followers did - when he started “Dicks out for Harambe.” Yes, the infamous meme that threw social media (and offline society as a whole) into using a random meme, was started by troll Wardell. While following him, I saw his likening to how quickly it picked up, and how he essentially inspired anyone and everyone to troll with the saying. But after a month or two, he grew tired of it, and it was surprising to me. 

As brought up in class, trolls have a detached personality and outlook on their postings. “...the ideal mode of internet interaction is a kind of idle, ironic detachment.” So when Wardell expressed his disdain for the meme and its immense popularity, it caught me off guard. It destroyed the perception I had of him as this nonsensical, random, troll, and I instead started viewing him as an actual person my age. Rugnetta’s idea that, “the internet is serious,” and “not some separate ‘not real life’ place” rang true in that moment. It especially rang true when I experienced Wardell’s reaction and place as a troll during the recent US election.

For most trolls, being such a volatile election, it was a time to spew out the most nonsense possible and humiliate the newbies and flamers more than ever before. From start to finish, I saw Wardell tweet out content regarding Hillary’s pantsuit wardrobes to Trump’s fingers, all fodder for an experienced veteran like him. The night of, he was firing off tweets every 10 minutes, each of them more random than the last, until reality was setting in that Trump was winning the presidency. From that moment on, in real time, I experienced Wardell’s revelation of how the Internet is not a separate ‘not real life’ place, as his tweets started expressing shock, angst, worry, and more. He began informing his following that it was not a joke and it was not funny anymore.

The above tweets show just how hard reality rocked Wardell’s normally detached and non-serious world. After the results came in, he had to take a break from Twitter for a bit, which I found a huge deal considering how his trolling followed a very consistent schedule and tweet rate. While I found myself also echoing the idea of, “how did this happen?” during Trump’s victory, it never REALLY blindsided me until seeing Wardell’s transition from loony, shitposting Twitter troll, to concerned, normal, American citizen. It truly exhibited the idea that despite their best efforts, trolls are still susceptible to the harsh events of reality, and the characteristic of detached irony and emotionlessness in trolling can only carry them so far. 

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Avatar: The First Tumblr

When I first hear the word, “avatar,” my mind naturally thinks of the blue Pochahontos people, and that other awful M. Night movie I’ve never seen. In the right context, it’ll move on to the character(s) one represents themselves with in games or simulations. The most relevant and relatable being when the Professor asks you if you’re a boy or a girl, and then needs saving from a wild Pokémon.

I never made the relation between avatar and my personas on social media. I always just referred to them as my profile (pics). But upon further thought, I can understand and agree with the notion. Just because it is your actual face at a certain time, doesn’t mean it isn’t a character one represents themselves with. In most cases, it is the most honest representation one has of themselves (unless we’re talking catfish). 

I’ve never given much thought to my avatars on my personal social medias in terms of what they visually look like or show. In fact, my Facebook avatar is wildly inaccurate by now, as it’s nearly 6 years old. Yet I check and interact with my friends over Facebook on a daily basis. It’s almost as though I’m doing the complete opposite of what an avatar is intended to do, as it mis-represents me physically.