As a student and a post-human, I think the most crucial technology for communicating is the Internet and computers. Especially during the pandemic, most students need the Internet and computers to access classes online. I believe that every student and professor can deeply understand the distress that internet instability brings to online courses. In the article, Shifman says that memes are mainly spread by mimicry and remix, and I often see these two images on the web with different textual content used to convey different meanings. The remix versions of these two memes are my favorites. The first meme I chose significantly resonated with me, and I thought the person's expressions in the pictures were very interesting. In my online classes, I often encounter students who get stuck in the middle of speaking due to network instability. The expression on the picture is just perfect for me! He looks as if he was talking about something very emotional and then immediately got stuck. As a student, especially one who had to stay home for a long time because of the Covid-19, I was very excited to go back to school because I hadn't had a "real person" to talk to in a long time. Whenever I came back to school with enthusiasm and prepared a lot of nice stationery, I was always enthusiastic and confident on the first day and first week. As time went on, I would slowly become tired, just like the people in the picture. This picture is fascinating because the four boys in the picture are in an exciting position and are slowly falling in transition.
Both memes are related to students and schools. This is also the most attractive point for me because my primary identity is a student. Simultaneously, the Internet is one of the most essential tools in our lives and an indispensable tool for students. The text and image content of these two memes are very effective and easy for me to understand. In her article, Elizabeth explains that most memes are pictures with text and are meant to be humorous. These two memes are of the same form as the first memes I came across, so I named this one-line text plus one image meme form Classical/Plain. I think both memes fit the form perfectly with what Shifman said in the article about memes being a product of the Internet consisting of words, images, languages, and cultures that are quickly absorbed and spread (363). Classical/plain memes (without any metaphors) are the most intuitive and easiest for people to understand. Shifman also said that although memes are micro-propagation, they have a macro impact. It affects the mindset and behavior of a group of people (364). Both memes had some effect on students' attitudes towards learning and attending classes in one way or another. The content makes us more aware of the importance of the Internet and gives other people who are not students some insight into students' mindset when they go to school. Even people who are not students and who work from home experience unstable networks when they have webinars. This meme also elicits empathy for all those who need the Internet. The meme about Internet stability expresses the stance that Internet stability is essential, and it also represents the stance of all people who need the Internet. The "Back to school" meme represents many students' stances and expresses many students' voices. These two memes provide some fun and resonate with many people straightforwardly." The "Zoom" meme is a meme with a short history because people have only been using zoom frequently for a short time. The "Back to school" meme has more history in terms of content because I believe that most students' mindset, both fifty years ago and today, remains the same. The "back to school" meme has more history in terms of content because I believe most students' mindset has not changed, either fifty years ago or today.
Arens, E. (2018, October 15). What are memes for marketing? Retrieved April 14, 2021, from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/memes-in-marketing/
Shifman, Limor. "Memes in a Digital World: Reconciling with a Conceptual Troublemaker." Journal of Computer-mediated Communication 18, no. 3 (2013): 362-77.