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1.) Who’s Driving Twitter’s Popularity? Not Teens

Summary // Some might think that teenagers drive the social media paradigm, but that is not necessarily true for social networking sites that have “adult features”. Some teens are saying sites like Twitter seem more professional because you are posting multiple, daily updates that people are conversing about. Speculation that teenagers are saturated mostly in the realm of their cellphones for texting because they are very ego-centric and are attracted to systems that will aide them within their small group of friends, or furthering their identity of themselves (such as Facebook quizzes or photos). Twitter has central purposes of following news, professionals, bands, or other organizations that people want to keep up on as well as engage in “adult” conversations with. This revolution is not new, as social networking usage within the age range of 35-54 grew 60%. Social networking is not only for the younger generation anymore.

Technique // The information produced within this article provides some insight around social networking and audience, that I think is pertinent to any meme.  If I want to make a viral video, regardless, it will be smart to start tinyURLing my way through Twitter, but I might not find as much success if I am posting random things on Last.fm. That may be an extreme example, but the knowledge of where to spread your meme, even if it is “everywhere” finds a better end to it’s means if you know what kind of affect it will have in different arenas.

I will undoubtedly use Twitter to further my meme. I used Twitter for my piece in the Without Borders show to promote a fake company that markets gender to both agencies and offers personal consultation. I only have a dozen or so followers, but the point remains, that is a dozen people who know what I am doing, and I think it’s important to note that we shouldn’t take any “follower” for granted.

2.) Male Fantasies

Summary // Male Fantasies is an ad campaign that exposes the society messages embedded in masculinity. The connections between traditional views of masculinity and fascism, chauvinism, and violence are closely examined. Using advertising models like one would see in magazines, societal questions between the treatment of women and men are spread throughout a means that already includes such a pigeon-holed view of people. Using a common theme to all people, fantasy, Male Fantasies begs the question, can we fantasize without compromising the safety, health, and dignity of another person.

Technique // Male Fantasies uses a technique that I believe will not appeal to everyone. Although I really like their style based on my own interests of gender studies (especially in relation to media), I think it’s a half-won battle. I am not sure if a lot of people will change their mind about advertising just by finding the worst of the worst. People are exposed to thousands of images each day and often times do not take a second look at what they are saying (or are not saying). Although that is part of the point of Male Fantasies, I am not sure that I would use a technique that was so blunt in its point. The fashion and facility in which you wish to spread your message is heavily related to the type of message that is contained within.

3.) Aqua Teen Hunger Force Sparks Bomb Panic in Boston

Summary // Major roads in Boston were closed down in January of 2007 due to suspicious paraphernalia. What they thought was a bomb was actually an advertising campaign for the Adult Swim television program “Aqua Teen Hunger Force”. The campaign used mother board circuirtry from a computer as well as the old and popular “lite-bright” pegs to create one of the characters from the show. Officials were in an uproar about this “threat” on the city. Citizens all around the nation felt the brunt of this very harsh reaction and started their own including selling the “bombs” on eBay, and a lot of satirical spin-off such as “planning the mooninite defense”, poking fun at the system’s overreaction.

Technique // I don’t think I want my project to be quite so invasive and “bomb-looking” as the ATHF advertisement, but it is important to note that the effect you are looking for may not be the response you are actually looking for. Although a lot of “viral” media may seem random and stupid (Chris Crocker…?) it is important to still plan out and try to foresee some of the possibilities. If you want to have the project look like a bomb, then go for it!

I did do something similar to this with my capstone project where I took painted green tiles with pieces of stories that were displayed from a website, and directed people there. Sometimes there is a disjunctive function (I don’t know how many people went based on a google search versus my lime green tiles), but I think object placement that refers to a project is very powerful for people. I once saw a really random picture of a man eating a ham sandwich on a bulletin board, there was nothing else on it, but it made me think (and if there were a URL I probably would have gone), so I believe it is effective, and would want to implement it in my own meme.

4.) Self-Help, Inc.

Summary // Sometimes viral media can be a reflection on the society itself. Self-Help is a book that directly contradicts the self-help market. The materials surrounding self-help are endless, so this book proves to show that people are being forced into this market because the economy demands a specific archetype to qualify and be accepted into the job market (and for that matter any other societal paradigm that stipulates certain behaviors, looks, actions, etc.). Self-Help, Inc. takes back from the system using the same methods that regular self-help mediums might occur in. Self-Help, Inc. at it’s core is a book, but through this mantra of  “society is the one that needs help”, touring the book, doing seminaries, and blogging are just a few ways that they are able to sustain their messages.

Technique // Although I don’t think the methods used in “Self, Help, Inc” are methods I would use to promote my meme (books, events, touring), I think there is an important message embedded in the core of this project. There are subsets of techniques (forms) that I think would be extremely helpful in spreading my own message (which align with my own thoughts about the world anyway). Satire is one of those forms. Self-Help, Inc. props itself up by being ironic with a burst of sarcasm. My own project, Gender, Inc. follows a similar paradigm to expose a specific cultural phenomenon. I believe this is directly the type of meme that I would like to spread; one of social commentary embedded in satire and irony.

5.) I Wouldn’t Steal

Summary // I Wouldn’t Steal is a video in response to the advertisements that were out about a year ago that were put on many DVD’s and even advertised in theaters through the MPAA. The ads suggested that “you”, being the upright citzien you are would not steal a handbag, a car, or break into a home, so why would you steal a movie? I Wouldn’t Steal creates an ad in a similar vein that says “I would not steal a car, a handbag, or break into a house, but I do download films” to suggest that the MPAA governs laws that protect themselves and permeates propaganda. Their mantra suggests that the government has not created enough viable resources for people to give in to these farce advertisements.

YOU WOULDN’T STEAL (Original) NOTE : I went to go find this on youtube, and it took about 10 minutes because there are so many parodies of it. It’s important to note that when something grains against culture it’s a good opportunity to start up a meme (but at the same time have competition)

VS.

I WOULDN’T STEAL

VS

THE IT CROWD Anti-Piracy Ad (Parody) (sorry embedding was not allowed, guess they don’t want it to go viral on my blog.

Technique // I really loved this video because it was satirical, but surrounded by both a huge society issue right now as well as not blowing steam up a lot of people’s asses. I remember seeing the “viral” “you wouldn’t steal” videos when they were popular, and they angered me because the morality of a physical crime is not the same as one in the cyber world. Regardless of personal opinion, making a point using the aesthetic and altering the intention just minutely, I Wouldn’t Steal is a huge success. I don’t know how much coverage it got, but it is both clever and worth-while (socially, comically, aesthetically), which is a technique that would be invaluable to any meme (hopefully mine!).

Tagged as gender, humor, memes, networking, p2p, Response, satire, twitter + Categorized as Response