A Liddle Memes for You

Creators must be concise in their writing when creating a meme. Memes commonly take a complex idea or experience, like being a college student, and makes it easily digestible in a few words. It makes memes similar poetry in the sense that the creators have to be very intentional with their language. Also, some memes completely disregard the use of traditional grammar or spelling rules, and they have to think about which audiences will understand the use of slang language and who will find it humorous. The creator has to have a lot of knowledge about the culture and social life of the audiences they are trying to communicate with to create effective text that juxtaposes with the visuals components in a way that makes sense, but is also humorous.

Memes rely heavily on intertextuality  – referencing and relating to different parts of culture and society, so the visuals have to instantly cue audiences into those references. When creating memes, the creator must think about their intended audience and what images will juxtapose the best with their chosen text to create humor and comment on something about the world. Huntington brings in the idea of semiotics, which is based on the idea that “cultural objects convey meaning, and can be decoded as a text (Hall, 1997, p. 35). Signs combine to work on both a denotative and connotative level.” The creator has to be aware of both the denotative and connotative level of their chosen images and how it will be perceived with their text. The chosen visuals have persuasive effects on the reader. When you “get” a meme, it almost feels like you are in on an inside joke, so it makes sense that viewers would tend to agree with the connotations of a meme if they feel like an “insider.”

Has a meme ever made you change your mind about a topic? In other words, has there been an instance when a meme has been truly persuasive in your life?