I strongly agree with Olia Lialina: people should focus on what they want to do and what they want to express, not on the computer. The Internet and computers are a medium that helps people create art and express themselves, but as society evolves, there are so many mediums to choose from. It's essential to understand why you choose to use internet art rather than simply following the trendy behavior. I think the Internet can be an effective and fast way to disseminate information. The aesthetic of online art is like a cycle; I think it is like the fashion trend, where a style that was popular fifty years ago has gone out of fashion and become mainstream today. Olia Lialina's web art style is vernacular aesthetic. In her web art, content and context are always in stark contrast. The early web art or web pages were always exciting and personal. Gradually the web became more and more evident, functional, and straightforward. People can spread information on the Internet by simply copying and pasting.
As an art form now often seen by post-human beings, Memes can spread many messages in humorous and straightforward ways. Some memes will be remembered and reprinted, and redesigned, but some memes will not be remembered. The memes that stay in people's minds usually convey social issues and resonate with many people. On page 363 of the article, the authors point out that Dawkins believes memes are like genes spread by replication (Shifman 2013). I strongly agree with this idea because a meme can effectively express our current emotions and what we want to say. It is a straightforward way to communicate. Therefore, many people have modified the text by reproducing memes or building on the original. In a way, I think memes spread like Coronavirus. People spread memes through communication on the Internet; simultaneously, some classic memes are modified and continue to apply. On the other hand, Coronavirus spreads through person-to-person encounters and even mutates when it is transmitted to others. The authors point out that memes are distributed at a microscopic level but have a massive impact on the way people think and behave (Shifman 2013). The content and form of memes that can be successfully disseminated must resonate with most people. For example, one of the most famous memes is the distracted boyfriend one. People always add different words to describe the relationship between the three objects. I can always see different versions of the same image conveying other concepts. I think this meme has been reproduced so much and redesigned so much because the original image's content can give a lot of room for association and creativity. At the same time, the meme itself can also resonate with many people. The original image without text can also provide an opportunity for web users to express themselves. A simple text with a clear picture is the first prerequisite for a successful meme.
References
Shifman, Limor. "Memes in a Digital World: Reconciling with a Conceptual Troublemaker." Journal of Computer-mediated Communication 18, no. 3 (2013): 362-77.