Concepts of Meme Rituals and Stereotypes

 Concepts of Meme Rituals and Stereotypes

Jodi Osborne

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Morris Schottenstein

November 25, 2016

  

Concepts of Meme Rituals and Stereotypes

Memes have been used for years now as a way of expression. This expression and voice of words through pictures, images, and videos can be viewed in a negative or positive light. It is more of an eye of the beholder type of deal. When considering which rituals and stereotypes can be involved within the meme or meme making process, we must dive deeper into what a meme can have within the bounds of itself and what other factors are being incorporated into the photo to make it something more than just a photo. When we solely focus on the influence that meme’s have on today’s society, we can factor in numerous concepts to truly grasp how these animated cartoons, images, and pictures have fully integrated into mainstream society and how the rituals and stereotypes that accompany meme’s affect the popular culture of today’s citizens.

Rituals

Meme’s do not solely hold any type of particular ritual or connection in today’s society that would pertain to religion or specific ceremonies that may hold a higher rite within the world. Meme’s instead may use religious beliefs, photos of religious figures, or places that others may hold in a higher right than others to obtain or gain fame, likes, or shares, via the internet to become a sort of pop culture celebrity.

People want fame and to be well known and recognized around the globe. Creating meme’s and pictures that are able to relate widely with common beliefs, norms, and values, gives that particular meme creator a hand up in the fame department. Most meme’s created around religion seem to be either poking fun at, or symbolizing a sort of feeling about how one may view that particular religious character.

For example, let’s use the following meme, Figure-1, to demonstrate the influence of meme’s in today’s society involving the use of a religious figure. This image involves a photo of the religious figure Jesus Christ. In the following image, Jesus is shown at The Garden Tomb, or better known as the death and resurrection place of Jesus Christ. The caption includes the following message, “People followed me before Twitter,” (Figure-1). This meme is insinuating that the people of the world followed Jesus literally before the coming of technology in which now you are able to follow people’s actions, status, and daily journeys via the internet application of Twitter. Although some may find humor in the following image, others may take extreme offense to the image. Depending on the particular person creating the meme, the setting in which the meme is being spread or shared, and the people receiving the image, this particular meme could have been created to inspire other or have simply been created to make fun of, or poke fun at this particular religious figure.

The individuals creating the meme and the individuals receiving the image will ultimately determine the status of the image. If the meme is considered funny or uplifting, most people on social media will tend to share, like, or spread the image future creating more buzz and popularity. If the image is deemed offensive, hurtful, or negative the image will most likely not receive very much attention, unless the popularity of the image is solely based on the negative portrayal of the religious figure, then can also reach mass amounts of popularity from people searching for the image personally or to find the image to attempt to take the image down. Various groups have differing opinions, values, and beliefs and while one group may find a meme acceptable, enjoyable, funny, or likeable, another group may find total distaste in the image. Weather a meme will receive any type of social status will depend on the community, or social group it is being shared with

Stereotypes

Meme territory comes with a variety of stereotypes not only with what a meme is, but the person conjuring the meme, as well as, stereotyping being held in high regards within the use of memes and the pictures, images, or videos they withhold.

The meme itself has an already classified field of uncertainty. People do not feel too sure about the images memes hold because of the negative or positive impact they hold when being shared. Some people choose not to dive into the world of memes at all because they can be viewed as crude, lude, harmful, or distasteful in nature depending on the content of the meme. Memes also hold the stereotypical view as humorous. Most memes created are in good nature and simply created because of the way one may feel about a particular topic, subject or theme. Memes can be considered relatable in nature and enjoyable. They were originally created to bring joy and happiness to the people it was being shared with. As with good there is generally a negative condonation as well. Once memes had started to become so extremely popular and mainstream and viral, others chose to use the meme glory in a negative light and to turn something that was simple and funny into something that can now be viewed as negative or nasty in nature.

Today the images and photos being liked and shared are anything but simple and sweet. Memes today have seemed to take a turn for the worse because in today’s society we are seeing more memes that are making fun of others and putting hurtful, or harmful messages against one another to ultimately hurt or create a tension between people, communities, and now society. Although memes are being created by one person, that one meme can travel as far as the eye can see and now around the globe. Once a meme is created there is almost no stopping it. Once something is put into virtual reality, social media, and mainstream society, and popular culture, it is very hard for those things to simply go away.

When thinking about stereotypical measures, we can look at the meme maker in their own environment and see all of the fixed ideals that people tend to have about them in general. Most people tend to think that meme makers are people who have been hurt by others in society and using meme’s as a way to get back at those who have caused them pain in the past. People generally also seem to picture a meme maker as a teen or grown man that is still living in his parents’ basement, possibly a computer geek, or bullied kid that is now looking for ways to revenge himself. Although this may be the general population’s thoughts and preconceived notions about meme makers, this is not always the case. Some meme makers are simply paid to make memes and work for internet corporations, social media venues, and popular culture bloggers.

Many kids are now using memes as a way to bully others or seek revenge on those they have felt some sort of negative light against and instead of society lifting itself up, it is almost taking a turn for the worst and crumbling under the weight of its own production. Teens have been found taking yearbook photos of classmates and turning them into meme’s that are hurtful and harmful. Meme’s started off as being something that way relatable in nature and has now become almost a breeding ground for negative insight.

In conclusion, meme’s have started off positive and funny, but have become something that people are tending to stay away from. No one wants to share a photo that potentially hurt someone’s feelings or become harmful to others. Although, there still are meme makers that do not choose to use their capabilities for evil, it seems as though memes have taken a turn for the worse. I hope that in the near future those who are making memes choose to make the photos with others in mind and choose to make memes that everyone can once again enjoy.

  

References

ChristianFunnyPictures. (2013, June 5). PEOPLE FOLLOWED ME BEFORE TWITTER. Obtained from  http://christianfunnypictures.com/2013/06/people-followed-me-before-twitter.html on November 27, 2016.