This is the first article we read.
Memes in a Digital World: Reconciling with a Conceptual Troublemaker.
The first article by Limor Shifman was really interesting but also kind of funny to me. Before this article, memes have not been introduced to me in such an academic context. In the article, “internet memes” were spoken about in such an articulate manner, yet they are so informal in my mind and in my own experience.
I liked the concept that memes were used to signify or communicate abstract beliefs—which I suppose is still true. But I haven’t seen any memes that have to do with the abstract concept of god like the article mentioned.
I also appreciate the origin of the name. Mimema, meaning something that is imitated, is certainly fitting. I am a bit confused at the frustration that memes are ambiguous. I think it makes sense that memes may present ambiguously as human culture does too. I can relate to wanting to understand digital culture but the frustration from the difficulty in doing so through memes feels unfounded — is that just me?
I think it was also interesting that academics have divided memes into categories in efforts to understand and name them — mentalist driven, behavior driven, and inclusive memetics.
This is the second article we read.
What Does Net Art Mean in the Post-Digital Age?
The second article spoke about the net art piece, My Boyfriend Came Back from the War which was created in 1996 and relies on different kinds of internet functionality than our more modern internet processes. I think it’s important to emphasize its ability to tell a story in a non-linear fashion.
The article also explores the idea that net art should convey the functionality and process of the internet during the time of the art’s creation. So, if something was created at a time that used slower software, it should be displayed as it was intended, with that software. The thought here is that it will increase the viewer’s ability to connect with the work and even the artist, in my opinion.
The article also shares the idea that we are so disconnected in our modern website making from the coding aspect, and therefore the personality. I hope to bridge this gap in this class and allow some of my own design through in my website coding, rather than allowing a separate program to design a more modern, and less unique version.