Internet Memes As New Cultural Metalanguage: a Case Study of Pepe the Frog / Anthropology of Language Research Project PDF

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Axelle Van Wynsberghe 5,999 words Internet Memes New Cultural Metalanguage: a Case Study of Pepe the Frog Anthropology of Language Research Project “YOU LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE A GROUP OF INTERNET MISFITS MEME-MAGICKED A CELEBRITY MADMAN INTO THE WHITE HOUSE WITH THE HELP OF AN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN DEITY....

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Internet Memes As New Cultural Metalanguage: a Case Study of Pepe the Frog / Anthropology of Language Research P... Axelle Van Wynsberghe

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Axelle Van Wynsberghe 5,999 words

Internet Memes New Cultural Metalanguage: a Case Study of Pepe the Frog Anthropology of Language Research Project “YOU LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE A GROUP OF INTERNET MISFITS MEME-MAGICKED A CELEBRITY MADMAN INTO THE WHITE HOUSE WITH THE HELP OF AN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN DEITY.” —A.T.L. CARVER (2017)

The above citation may seem completely absurd and irrational, but a large group of people on the internet have drawn such conclusions due to the ironic, humorous and satirical nature of internet memes and the memetic thinking that their forms and characteristics allow. In this study, I will be using the theory of memetics in order to analyze the emergence of internet memes as a new cultural metalanguage. I will be conceptualizing them as ‘superhighway hieroglyphics’ based on their pictorial format and historicity in deriving meaning from their own referentiality. I will argue that their forms allow them to communicate more particular emotions and understandings of culture than other forms of language permit in the form of ‘feels’. Throughout the course of this essay, the study of memetics will be outlined and its most problematic assumptions revised in an effort to refine certain terms and concepts. This study of internet memes will additionally be contextualized within an understanding of today’s rhizomatic and networked organization of cyberspace. I will argue that this has led to the development of the internet meme as a new cultural metalanguage which is able to translate contemporary ‘feels’. Pepe the Frog will be used as a case study to showcase how the networked and rapid nature of internet memes allow users to create new kinds of utterances which communicate complex cultural thoughts and feelings. Lastly, the impact of this study on language and evolution discourse will be briefly examined.

Background I. The Study of Memetics The field of Memetics has held many tensions and incongruencies since its inception, with Susan Blackmore and Richard Dawkins being its most prominent proponents. There have been many criticisms of Blackmore and Dawkins’ comparisons between the meme and the gene, and the proposition of the meme as a cultural replicator which functions under the principles of natural selection. According to Dawkins, replicators are ‘anything in the universe which interacts with its world, including other replicators, in such a way that copies of itself are made’ (as cited in Aunger, 2000: 9). The main issue with Blackmore’s conception and theory of memes is that of the agency she attributes to memes and the unsound analogy she makes between genes and memes. Her view of memes as autonomous entities that

replicate in their own right gives memes an unsound amount of agency and decentralizes the subject. We become simply ‘meme machines’, vehicles that the memes use to replicate. In her decentralization of the subject, Blackmore decreases the potentiality of the subject and increases that of the meme. This view, however, fails to acknowledge the subject’s agency in the production of memes. There is also a vagueness to the meme concept that cannot be overlooked. Jaron Lanier states: “Are memes a rhetorical technique, a metaphor, a theory, or some other device? Depending on who you talk to, they can be so wispy as to be almost nothing. (…) They make no predictions and cannot be falsified. They are no more than a perspective.” (as cited in Aunger, 2000: 2). Blackmore does not define the meme’s boundaries, form, or characteristics, instead stating that they could be a story, habit, or way of doing things—anything that is an imitable ‘unit of culture’. Susan Blackmore writes that “These memes have an internal structure that ensures their own propagation,” yet does not hint towards what this ‘internal structure’ might consist of. (Blackmore, 2000: 66). By taking the word meme away from the taxonomy of language, she makes it stand above language as an organizing principle. For Blackmore, god never died—he was just always a meme. Seeing memes as a ‘unit of culture’ is additionally problematic because they are a highly variable and always-already shifting manifestation of culture. Furthermore, although Blackmore’s newly suggested term ‘teme’ could be applied to the study of internet memes: 1) culture doesn’t really care whether it is copied by human or machine, 2) it invites a high level of technological determinism, and 3) the ‘teme' itself cannot be aptly isolated from the meme in the first place (Tyler, 2010). Her conception of the meme as a replicator and as an extension of the gene as first replicator, also contains many theoretical fallacies. According to Dennett, memes cannot be replicators because they do not have high fidelity replication, they are not bounded entities, and can be influenced by human decisions unlike in Darwinian theory (Aunger, 2000: 4). Dawkins posits that memes spread through imitation, but as Plotkin states“Schemas and social constructions arise out of the operation of memory and abstraction. They have nothing to do with ‘learning to do an act from seeing it done.’” (Blackmore, 2000). Blackmore and Dawkins’ analogy between genes and memes is additionally not a viable one. Blackmore’s theory relies upon a startling kind of biological reductionism which claims to reveal all of culture as a Darwinian process. However, as I have outlined, memes are subject to high rates of mutation, are highly influenced by conscious human activity, and are cannot aptly be distinguished from one another enough to consider them as autonomous entities. I propose to view memes as a representation of culture which is derived from and returns to the human mind—the subject being at the center of meme creation and dissemination rather than decentralized from it. Blackmore’s new term ‘teme’ is attractive, but I will not be using it in my research due the problematic reasons that have been outlined above. Although digital technologies may offer new tools for ‘reproducing’ memes, the process remains the same—it is not the autonomy of the meme as ‘cultural replicator’ or the autonomy of the machinery as ‘technological replicator’ but rather the collective adherence to certain concepts and ideas based on their social currency that affords them more success or spreadability. Contrary to Blackmore’s conception of memes as autonomous replicators, which have a close similarity to genetic evolution, we can see memes rather as being culturally reproduced and done so in a context and person specific manner. Memes don’t have a history separate to culture, they have a history because of culture. Memes are only ‘infiltrating our minds’ when we make sense of them,

putting the subject at the center of memetic propagation. Pepe the Frog as a signifier is dependent on the cultural variables that are reflected in its use, the cultural context in which it is wielded, and the semiotic universe that the interlocutors share and in which the speech act takes place. A variety of signified meanings can thereby emerge. Shifman uses the term ‘stance’ to showcase the variety of ways in which the memetic content can be approached—such as the position addressees take towards a text, its linguistic codes, and other potential speakers—and helps to determine who is entitled to participate, the tone and style of communication, and what the communicative function(s) of the speech act is (2013: 40). In addition, he shifts Dawkins’ memetic theory into one which takes into consideration the mutation rate of internet memes: viewing memes as groups of content items. This cultural view of memes sheds light on the evolution of language, which relies on the collective acquisition of ‘memes’ in order to be manifested, but also showcases the process by which linguistic differentiation may take place between groups of interlocutors due to the ways in which language shifts according to the variety of shared semiotic universes. Due to the instantaneity of the potential for collective acquisition in the digital sphere, the internet meme can lead to new insights on this linguistic process. The dimension of imitation in memetics can be observed through the usually consistent recognizable characteristics of internet memes despite their highly variable nature, but imitation is does not encompass the whole memetic process as Blackmore and others may argue. Indeed, as Knobel and Lankshear state, “What was apparent after studying these memes was that Dawkins’s “fidelity” feature of memes is perhaps better understood in terms of “replicability” where online memes are concerned. Many of the online memes in this study were not passed on entirely “intact” in that the meme “vehicle” was changed, modified, mixed with other referential and expressive resources, and regularly given idiosyncratic spins by participants.” (2007: 208). I propose to see the meme as a group of content items which represent culture, and are reproduced using a variety of cognitive functions and processes.

Research Aims and Objectives Firstly, I will aim to utilize my revised form of memetic theory in order to gain a stronger understanding of the linguistic characteristics and functions of internet memes. Secondly, I will aim to isolate what is uniquely communicated through memes as opposed to through other forms of language, and understand how the sociocultural context in which it emerged may have prompted the necessity for it as a cultural metalanguage. Thirdly, my focus on internet memes will also aim to contribute to debates on the evolution of language; revealing the ways in which language acquires meaning only through collective ascription to viewing certain concepts as groups of content items.

Research Questions 1. What is the social function of the emergence of memes? What can memes communicate that other forms of language may not be able to communicate? 2. Can we conceive of internet memes as a new cultural metalanguage? How do memes make reference to and utilize other forms of language to communicate more complex ideas, thoughts, and feelings?

3. In what ways does conceptualizing of internet memes as ‘superhighway hieroglyphics’ productive in order gain a deeper understanding of the way in which it is used to communicate in cyberspace? In what ways does the meme’s historicity shape what is signified? How does this conception of internet memes affect current discourse on the nature and evolution of language?

Methodology & Method The concept of the signifier and the signified is one of the core principles of semiotics. Ferdinand de Saussure’s semiotic framework will be used to analyze Pepe the Frog memes as cultural texts and ‘superhighway hieroglyphics’. According to Saussure, the signifier creates the signified by the meaning that it triggers in us. Saussure’s claim that ‘the point of view precedes the object’ implies that due to meanings derived from utterances laying in the human perspective, the study of phonetics, grammar, lexicon, and so on, are restricted in their view of language (Harris, 1997: 14). I take this as a starting point in order to take a more social constructivist view of language, using semiotic and discourse analysis as my methods. Discourse analysis was used in order to follow the changes in social currency that Pepe the Frog went through depending on the context in which it was used. I used the social media spaces of Reddit and Tumblr to explore the ways in which internet memes were used as communicative devices. I examined how internet memes can hold conversations throughout a thread, and also how they can hold a more fragmented and networked cultural conversation on a given topic—such as white nationalism, or terrorism. I used the amount of ‘likes’ or ‘upvotes’ of certain posts as well as their respective comments sections in order to gauge the interaction between users. Other threads which discussed Pepe the Frog memes and their meanings were also used in order to gain deeper insight on how online audiences can understand and use the memes in conflictual ways. I chose three examples of Sad Frog and Feels Good Man Pepe the Frog memes in order to conduct a short semiotic analysis, and will also describe the results of my broader research in cyberspace in the section below.

Description of Results

Know Your Meme, 2017

The data used in this study can be conceived of as various ‘meme pools’. Shifman’s conception of memes as a group of content items is more accurate than Blackmore and Dawkins’ conception of memes as a unit of culture, as is showcased by the pluripotent characteristic of Pepe the Frog. The meme can be considered to have a specific set of characteristics: pink lips, green skin, bug-like eyes, and an often disgruntled expression. The group of content items definition is also helpful in coping with the variety of sub-categories that Pepe the Frog memes can carve out depending on their more specific characteristics; several of these categories are the ‘Feels Good Man’ Pepe, ‘Feels Bad Man’ Pepe, Smug Frog, Angry Pepe, Nu Pepe and Rare Pepe (Know your meme, 2017). Some of the categories that emerge are not based on physical characteristics, but based on situational or emotional alterations. Part of the adoption criteria of new Pepe the Frog characteristics which can constitute their own ‘subcategory’ seems to be their potential for mutation through remixing and and through their adaptability to other cultural contexts. However, these recognizable characteristics are not ‘fixed’ through simple imitation, as users oftentimes stretch them to the limits of their recognizability as a creative, humorous, and ironic exercise. Some fundamental characteristics of Pepe the Frog may also disappear when other aspects of the image are recognizable enough. For example: he may be depicted in a different color than green with redneck Pepe or rare Pepe; his whole face may be obscured with one of his recognizable hand gestures in the foreground suggesting his presence, and so on. This further underscores the pluripotent capability of Pepe the Frog to signal new and varied meanings. Pepe the Frog as a character is constituted by user’s recognizability of particular circulating Pepe the Frog characteristics. Variability in the Pepe the Frog meme may take place as aesthetic, situational, and emotional variability, to name a few. Pepe the frog additionally embodies several non-physical characteristics which are assumed by users who view memes. He is considered to be full of regrets and shame, misogynist and racist, cynical, bitter, angsty, aggressive and bitter. These are often signified in the memes that I have analyzed, but there are also many Instagram or Facebook memes which depart from this description of Pepe by using him as a more basic canvas upon which to ascribe their own meanings through text. Feels Good Man’ Pepe

!

! (Funnyjunk, 2015) ! (Tumblr, 2016)

The original ‘feels good man’ text box from Matt Furie’s comic book is remixed with Pepe’s face and Spongebob Squarepants. This scene in Spongebob Squarepants is evocative of the feelings of innocence and magic that can be recalled from watching the show. The layering of these three deterritorialized elements—the spongebob scene, Pepe face, and comic book bubble, create a new image. The signified meanings that can be derived from this image depend on the viewer’s relationship with these characters and to the show Spongebob Squarepants, but the meme itself also encompasses new meaning as a sign as it circulates on the web.

Analysis

In this image, Pepe the Frog parodies Kim Kardashian’s ‘Paper’ cover, in which she strikes this exact pose. There is a sense of ridicule implicit in the image, and also an element of irony and satire present in Pepe’s expression. The desire for Pepe to ‘break the internet’ in the same way that Kim Kardashian ‘broke the internet’ was evident in the comments below the image.

The ‘Feels Good Man’ Pepe expression is altered and anthropomorphized in this frame. This scene reflects current discourse on high levels of inequality in America today and implicitly hints at the greed or psychopathy needed to succeed. In addition, it relates to a wide section of the population which is made to feel inferior and undesired in society. Another meme character, Wojak, is in the scene—he signifies a ‘pleb’ or ‘hipster’ who is a ‘friendless virgin’ but went to college. There is a narrative of societal division in which all characters lose. All characters are plagued by a sense of cognitive dissonance and defeat, and must play terrible characters to go through the difficult emotions of postmodern life. The above image was a remix of the image below, which has also grown from previous images.

!

Sad Pepe

! (Openclipart, 2008)

! ! (Imgur, 2016)

(Tumblr, 2015)

This is the ‘original’ template for the ‘Feels Bad Man’ Meme, which was initially created as an offshoot of the ‘Feels Good Man’ meme. This sign signifies a general downtrodden emotion that has become incredibly relatable to large amounts of users online.

Pepe the Frog crying memes denote deep existential crises over strong emotions. They can be used genuinely or ironically. In this case, the text indicates a reference to a well-known phrase. This phrase has also spawned a variety of similar ‘they say you are what you eat’ Pepe the Frog memes in which a plethora of different associations are made. Here, the meme signifies for an intense feeling of personal shame and disappointment. The illustrative style additionally enhances Pepe as a more realistic character.

Other characters are often merged with the face of Pepe the Frog to signify metacultural meanings. In this case, Pepe the Frog is merged with a Pokémon character. The text additionally refers to a quote from Pokémon, which adds a culturallyspecific ‘feel’ to the image that viewers can relate to. In this case, many fans of the show can relate to the feeling of a Pokémon not being chosen, and feel resonance with the ‘sad frog’ emotion.

! !

!

Analysis

Rare Pepe

(Tumblr, 2015)

Analysis

Rare Pepe’s often have interesting textures layered on the character. This image additionally contains a caption which entices the viewer to spread the meme. Blackmore’s account of spam emails as ‘memes’ resonates with this image, as they are both spread on the basis of ‘avoiding bad luck’ and attain a viral character.

(Tumblr, 2016) This meme was accompanied by the caption △ Ｉ Ｉ ＡＬ Ｌ △ and was in a GIF format. In this rendition, Pepe has lost his color green and certain other definitive features but his expression is still so relatable that the image is instantly recognizable.

(Tumblr 2015) This meme consists of hundreds of emojis, which are used to illustrate Pepe the Frog. Pepe’s recognizable features arise due to the simplicity and particularity of his expression, allowing for recognition.

There are two form of imitation involved in the processes of Pepe the Frog production and exchange; one being mimicry and the other remixing. There remains a wide array of creativity, however, in how the memes are produced. Some memes are produced based on written texts which serve as ‘narratives’ to the situations that Pepe the Frog will be put in within the meme. Others are produced in direct response to other memes, slightly altering them in some way or coming up with witty responses. Others yet arise out of analogous links between cultural refe...