The Structure of a Meme is Key

A meme is simply a piece of digital content, which is quickly spread around the Internet and becomes a cultural experience that is shared (units of culture). Memes are known for their entertainment value but they should be taken seriously due to their marketing, advertising, and public relations advantage.

Memes are relevant to digital media and communications because marketers can use them. Marketers use memes as a form of viral marketing. This form of marketing is known as memetic marketing. Memes are trendy and lucrative. The use of memes results in awareness. Memes have been used to create interest in films, campaigns, and advertisements.

Memes are popular in contemporary Internet culture  (participatory culture) because they allow for people to self-create and add new value to media content they find meaningful, which can be spread by many people.

A successful meme is one that entails communication properties of which the original meme can quickly and easily be distorted, transformed, and repurposed as it moves through the Internet while retaining its informational content. A successful meme is one that provokes manipulation by a large variety of communities who then can offer a great quantity of new contexts to expand meaning as it’s duplicated.

Memes are neither primarily visual nor linguistic; both must be equal in presentation and its ability to be adapted. The structure is of most importance. The combination of both visual and linguistic texts is necessary to construct the message.

 

This meme I’m sure a lot of people can relate to, whether in a work or school environment. The image implies the disgust the person who did the work feels towards the person who did not contribute, but appears to be taking credit for the presentation’s success. The texted adds to the structure in getting the message across to its audience.

 

How Would I Teach a Lesson in 11th Grade Civics?

If using a fully digital curriculum, my lesson on Civics would include the use of multimedia. I would begin by developing a website to aid in the arrangement of lesson activities. The Site will include a logical progression of links to all content and material to be covered.

Students will follow links on my Site to obtain Presentations of lesson material created through software, such as, Prezi and/or PowerPoint. Following the link for Presentations will be links to Websites and podcasts with relevant information. I would provide a link for a class blog, which will be set up to resemble a newspaper for students to build upon lesson material. I would manage a threaded discussion board to be used by students for the engagement of discussions and development of opinions with peers.

First, I would be sure to use materials that are not only very thorough but also historically accurate. I would ensure that the content and materials used enable my students to read and write brief responses to the content I provide.

Second, Students would be required to analyze documents and answer questions about the content emphasized in the documents in a threaded discussion board, which will allow for me to check the students’ understanding.

Say for instance, I deliver a Presentation on Marbury v. Madison. I would then provide students a link to http://www.pbs.org where they can obtain an overview of this landmark case. I would then provide a link to the podcast “60-Second Civics: Episode 2042, We the People, Lesson 21, Part 4: Marbury v. Madison explained” found on the Site http://www.podcastchart.com/podcasts/60-second-civics-podcast/episodes/60-second-civics-episode-2042-we-the-people-lesson-21-part-4-marbury-v-madison-explained.

After the basis for Judicial Review is established, students will follow a link to a current news article, which provides relevant information about how this case has influenced court decisions in other cases (Brown v. Board of Education). Students will then apply what they have learned to create an article for the class blog and will tell the story of how judicial review was used in Brown V. Board of Education.

Finally, students will use the threaded discussion board to express their opinions and potentially debate their findings relating to both cases.

Folk Art and Digitization

Folk art has always been a means of cultural expression. Folk art reflects how groups, whether ethnic or regional, share their identity through authentic creative expression. Individuals typically create folk art with no formal education relating to their artistic talent but rather through participation (self-taught). The idea of folk art has changed as technologies (digitization) have influenced the creative process. Two prominent examples are photography and music.

Photography is a folk art, which has been used by individuals to capture moments and places that identify their community, family, friends, and reflection of self. The advent of Photoshop, filters, and the like has changed the way one enhances their photographs. Props and settings no longer are of much concern when considering how well the creator can alter them. Take for instance this photo. After spending the day with my daughter, I created this photo to reflect how I viewed her take on the world. This was accomplished by the use of multiple photos taken throughout our day.

To express my view of her, as I at times call her my Mediterranean princess, I created the photograph below.

Of course, she is not actually a princess or Mediterranean at all, but I was able to capture in this creation my very own artistic expression using tools in Photoshop. This is my folk art. I was not trained in photograph or art, yet I was able to create and express my views through the use of digitization. To build an audience to share in this creative expression, platforms like: blogs, Facebook, Vine, and Snapchat come in handy.

Today, many people can create their own photographic folk art and many do so daily using apps like Instagram, which provides filters for creators. For those wishing to expand their audience in this way, Instagram is a great platform.

Music as folk art has taken on many forms. DJs for instance have taken music to a whole new level as they mix music. This is folk art that is representative of the culture today. No longer is folk art created by a person and their guitar, fiddle, or drums, but through the use of software that digitizes sounds and allows for the restructuration of bits and bytes. DJs and other amateur artists can distribute their mixes on platforms, such as, YouTube and MySpace. They can even have their mixes made available on iTunes to reach niche communities in the Long Tail.

Transmedia Storytelling is Creative Opportunity

Transmedia storytelling is geared toward maintaining audience interest through the creation of art allowing for creative opportunity. Media companies reap the benefits of fan culture and implement transmedia storytelling to do so. This is not necessarily done to create more commerce but rather to continue capturing audience support.

NBC and Metrodigi have already begun the process of transmedia storytelling with the show Grimm. Their collaboration resulted in the creation of an eBook titled Grimm: The Essential Guide , which enables fans to: poke through the various artifacts contained in a trailer that had passed on to Nick Burkhardt (the lead character) from his Aunt Marie, view behind the scenes activity, browse the most complete compilation of Wesen creatures, and use an interactive glossary of terms to understand the Grimm universe. To bring every fan up to speed, the guide provides viewers with interactive photo galleries, videos, quizzes. However, this is just a small step toward expanding its transmedia storytelling. While being interactive it lacks a real avenue for participation.

In Henry Jenkins “Convergence Culture”(2006), Jenkins defines participation as being shaped by cultural and social protocols where consumers not producers are in control. Interactivity is limited by technology and designers structure the environment provided. Participation on the other hand allows consumers to interact in the production and distribution of material.

Character backgrounds have already been established but entry points should be open for consumers to expand the story. I say this because the show lacks interesting dialogue even though the characters are entertaining. Clearly, the show could benefit from its consumers contributing to plot holes. We want to know where Adalind Schade’s baby is and what Nick’s mother is doing with her. This is where additive comprehension could come into play.

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Jenkins mentions additive comprehension, which is described by Neil Young, as “the expansion of interpretive possibility that occurs when fictional franchises are extended across multiple texts and media. As previously mentioned, we have an eBook but an avenue for animation production would be an important extension in creating scenarios that would draw continued interest in its fan culture. Creating a experience where fans can construct stories for these plot holes will keep them engaged. Another alternative would be for producers to promote a Wesen newspaper where fans contribute stories for plot holes. Grimm could build off the stories to better entice fans and inevitably contribute to the show’s success.