This research employs a huge-scale decimal study to disclose structural designs regarding websites memes, centering on dos pushes one bind him or her with her: the quiddities of every meme nearest and dearest as well as the general top features of the latest wide memetic industries. Using articles and you will network data regarding 1013 meme era (also videos, images, and you may text), we talk about memes’ common quiddity types and you can common features, and ways that it relate solely to each other. The conclusions demonstrate that (a) high cohesiveness away from meme families is regarding the a heightened individuality of its simple qualities; and you may (b) the fresh new concreteness out of meme quiddities try of cohesiveness and you may individuality. We discuss the implications of them results towards the understanding of sites memes and you will participatory people.
Family and you will Communities of Internet sites Memes: The relationship Anywhere between Cohesiveness, Uniqueness, and you will Quiddity Concreteness
Web sites memes, bits of electronic articles you to give inside the web in various iterations, features has just stimulated scholarly focus all over multiple sphere (Bennett & Segerberg, 2012 ; Milner, 2012 ; Shifman, 2013 ). While most degree need a beneficial qualitative method of exploring the cultural meaning of memes, on following blog post i use high-measure decimal research so you’re able to let you know certain rules and regularities underpinning this siti incontri single video ostensibly crazy sphere. Memes was an integral part of the new painful “web diet plan” of many Individuals, casually appearing inside the visits to help you platforms such Youtube, Myspace, and you may Reddit. The memetic vibrant is actually away from being trivial. They want disparate pages all over the world to do within the show, performing and circulating posts in the several differences together divergent programs, while keeping its affinity and you will well-known functions.
So it report is aimed at losing light about how Websites memes continue to be tied up along with her even after their vibrant and you may playful contexts out-of articulation. In its first region i put the back ground for the expedition by reflecting the strain within top features of personal meme period, meme parents, in addition to entire memetic circle. I identify web sites memes since the categories of digital textual equipment authored and you will written by many people, which can be sure together by the two pushes: (a) a discussed quiddity which is certain every single nearest and dearest, constituting its only 1 substance; and you can (b) even more standard properties away from form, posts, and posture you to definitely mark toward exhibitions of your “meme people.” Building about this abstract huge difference, we found in the following area brand new aims guiding this study: to provide a summary and you will studies of one’s common quiddities and you can simple features of sites memes also to study the newest contacts between them. Specifically, we need to have a look at the partnership between your cohesiveness regarding meme group (we.elizabeth., the fresh the amount that hours resemble both), the newest individuality of your generic qualities underpinning her or him, and concreteness of your quiddities binding him or her. To address this type of goals, we functioning blogs study to your a broad attempt from meme occasions, next added statistical and you will community research. On the finishing area, we speak about how our studies, according to the theoretical distinction between quiddities and you can general attributes, falls out white towards the dualities out-of “networked selves” constituting modern-day electronic societies.
Meme Group and you may Binding Quiddities
The word meme is actually created by the Richard Dawkins regarding Self-centered Gene ( 1976 ) to spell it out brief tools away from society one to give away from person to people by copying otherwise replica. Considering it initially conceptualization, memes is conceptual ideas, texts or practices. Memetic diffusion is dependent on a mix of repetition and you will version: Because the power to replicate memes in numerous contexts was fundamental on their success, re-production has to be versatile sufficient to conform to switching products. Which county from flux results in a tendency to determine memes only retrospectively, when they have propagated. Ergo, for example, the first four notes of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony was indeed defined as a meme simply when they traveled to many elements of the community and you can had been included in the a wide array of cultural items comprising commercials, child’s programming, and you may movies (Blackmore, 1999 ).
