Internet Memes As A New Visual LanguageDissertation Draft By Ana Novakovic Tutor: Wendy Maekin but what they all have in common is the way they connect people almost if they are sharing an inside joke. I plan to look into this as a starting point. etc. This group is just narrow enough to make it possible to analyse it properly. Rebecca Black). but it still covers a very wide range of ideas and messages which makes it a legitimate sample of Internet memes. rituals. single words (spelling „more‟ as „moar‟ on purpose). But since the world of Internet memes is too broad to cover. undertaking research on the scientific part of the issue. “something imitated”) and it was coined by Richard Dawkins as a concept for discussion of evolutionary principles that would explain the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena. symbols and practices from one mind to another through writing. This dissertation will try to answer these and similar questions and hopefully serve as a reference for further research on this topic. and may help understand the development of internet memes. Furthermore. Examples in the book included fashion. Advice Animals). The term meme was modelled on gene is a shortening of mimeme ( Ancient Greek. behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture". but questions like what turned them into one of the most approachable way of social commentary and what makes them such an effective visual language still remain unanswered. The messages they spread may differ drastically one from another (from humour to stereotypes). Understanding its origins will give me a better insight into its current status and it will enable me to draw parallels on how they spread in different aspects of culture. the way they are generated and adopted by internet subcultures. creating a new one that will stick around can rarely be done on purpose. Memes act as units for transmitting cultural ideas. how memes work as a part of evolutionary theory. Introduction The term „meme‟ was coined by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene and it means "an idea.Abstract The Internet meme is an idea that spreads through World Wide Web in a range of media such as images (LOLcats. videos (keyboard cat. I will focus on the specific group called Advice Animals. I believe it‟s the right time to dig deeper into their meaning. they haven‟t been analysed as much as they deserve. but also to media such as newspapers and billboards. Although being an on-going social phenomenon. why imitating some is more effective than others and how come despite following all the „rules‟ of a successful Internet meme. etc. I believe a psychological aspect should also be considered. Now that they are spreading not only over the internet. melodies. I will investigate how visual languages develop and how they grow from a specific to universal mean of communication. The question I want to answer is: Will the memes still be a way of communication in 10 (20/50/100) years? I will do this by looking into evolution of visual languages in general and analysing why they maintained to exist. and . gestures. catch-phrases. Their significance in popular culture and the impact they have on ways people communicate online are undeniable. Every time we hum Beethoven‟s 5th symphony. Their boundaries are always fuzzy and they mutate with a wild flexibility that would be fatal in biology (Gleick. or the Happy Birthday song. . These memes are not only spreading through millions of minds. societies and religion (on the macro scale) in the same way gene is the fundamental building block of biological life. languages. 2011). they also managed to leave copies of themselves on paper. 1995). Every time we wear some “in fashion” we help the idea of that fashion enter other people‟s minds. Genes have grounding in physical substance they replicate with near-perfect fidelity. and computer hard-drive (Silby 2000). On the micro scale they are building blocks of each human mind. these ideas are successfully replicating. on audiotape. They parasitize people into propagating them similarly to the way viruses do (Thomas. in books. and evolution depends on that. What makes memes so different to genes is the fact that they are abstract. They represent the basic building blocks of culture. but memes are seldom copied exactly.other imitable phenomena (1976). intangible and immeasurable. 2012. [Accessed 4 May 2012].com/arts-culture/What-Defines-a-Meme. [Accessed 4 May 2012].Advice Animals. 2012. Websites Know Your Meme. 1999. First Edition Edition. [Accessed 4 May 2012]. In: M. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.com/articles/what_is_a_meme.ru/en/articles/memes. The Meme Machine. AMACOM.htm. What is a Meme by Brent Silby. Know Your Meme . The Secrets of Word-of-Mouth Marketing: How to Trigger Exponential Sales Through Runaway Word of Mouth.def-logic.html?c=y&page=4. Memes and Mind Viruses by Brett Thomas. 2012. What Defines a Meme? | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian Magazine.smithsonianmag. [ONLINE] Available at: http://knowyourmeme. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition--with a new Introduction by the Author. 2012. 2001. Oxford University Press. Oxford University Press. 2008.Article: Memes or Values?. Evolution of Technology by Brent Silby. Sociodestruction. Online articles Evolution of Technology by Brent Silby.html.html. 1995. p120-134. Richard Dawkins. 2012. 2006. 1 Edition. Mandiberg The Social Media Reader.Bibliography Books George Silverman.Article: Memes or Values?. Vibrant Living Newsletter . Vibrant Living Newsletter . USA. What is a Meme by Brent Silby. The Language of Internet Memes. 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