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‘Examining the digital image of a meme: Gillian Rose’s Visual Analysis’ Visual Communication and Media: Visual Analysis Essay Assignment 1 Name: Binh Jelyn Nguyen Thanh Student ID: 1168816 Tutor: Lucy Benjamin Date: 03/09/2021

The meme has become an increasingly significant part in entertainment, culture and social and political commentary in our digital world today. This essay argues that the digital image of a meme plays a meaningful and cathartic role among users, particularly in political crises during the COVID-19 pandemic. By using Rose’s visual analysis framework, this essay will examine a meme which uses the “If those kids could read they’d be very upset” meme template to mock the Australian Liberal party’s management of the pandemic. Firstly, I will discuss the workings of Rose’s visual analysis and why it is useful in analysing the chosen meme. This essay will briefly discuss semiotics, another method I will draw upon. Finally, to illustrate the expressive function of memes, this essay will delve into the analysis of the digital image in context of the production, site of image, circulation and Rose’s concept of ‘audiencing’. I will now outline Rose’s visual analysis framework and the benefits in utilizing it in examining the chosen meme. Rose terms ‘four sites’ in her visual analysis: production, the image, circulation and audiencing. Within these sites, there are three ‘modalities’; technological, compositional and social. Site of production simply refers to how the image has been made in terms of technology, its visual design and the social factors like ideology and time. (Rose 27-31). Comparatively with production, site of the image focuses more on the notion where the “image’s meanings are made is the image itself” and many argue that the compositionality is the most important component in this site (32). Site of circulation refers to an image’s movement through technological, physical, political and social processes (34). Site of audiencing is “the process by which a visual image has its meanings renegotiated, or even rejected” and is impacted by social factors and circumstances (38). Technological modality relates to not only how an image is created, but its movement and display (24). Compositional refers to “the specific qualities of an image” including, spatial organization (24). Lastly, social modality relates to the “economic,

social and political relations, institutions and practices that surround an image” (24). Thus, Rose’s framework will be useful in facilitating a comprehensive analysis to the embedded meanings and interpretations of the meme. Semiotics is another approach to visual analysis that will be drawn upon throughout this essay to provide more insightful meanings from the meme. Semiotics is the study of signs (Aiello 36), comprised of the signifier (material form/image) and the signified (the associated mental concept) (369). According to Barthes, there are two levels whereby meaning can be communicated from: denotation (literal meaning) and connotation (symbolic, cultural or ideological meaning) (370). These key concepts in semiotics will enable a deeper analysis into the embedded meanings of the digital image of the meme. I will now explore the site of production in examining of the meme. Technologically, this meme was made digitally via the “If those kids could read they’d be very upset” meme template depicting a scene the American animated sitcom King of the Hill. The meme was edited by digitally adding text “early lock downs could have prevented all of this” and replacing the word “kids” with the blue Australian “Liberal” party logo. Compositionally, the use of text, cartoon imagery and real-life faces is characteristic of the genre of meme as the visual and textual components are constructed in a humorous, mocking and patronizing manner. In an inquiry into how young people perceive memes in relation to civic expression, Mihailidis (764) asserts that memes are “cultural signifiers that promote counter-narratives to dominant political norms” and further found that “humor/sarcasm” was the most frequently used strategy in the production and use of memes (773). By drawing upon Mihailidis’ work, in terms of social modality, the use of humor and sarcasm signifies that a young individual was most likely to have produced this meme as an instrument of political expression. Given that digital political activism has become more

prominent among young users, it is likely that the ideological views of a young individual politically against the Liberal party or critical of the Liberal’s efforts in the pandemic has influenced the production of the meme which is communicated through patronizing and mocking the Liberals. Thus, by analysing the production of the meme, the likely cause of how the digital meme came into existence is for the purposes of a cathartic and political expression against the Liberal party. In terms of the site of the image, I will discuss the narrative in which the meme communicates. To contextualise by drawing upon the meme’s social modality, there was widespread agreement over the use of an early and strict lockdown approach in the recent New South Wales coronavirus breakout in July/August 2021 amongst the Australian public and Labor politicians. In terms of compositionality, the denotation of the a man pointing at the Liberal members inside the classroom, holding a sign that reads “early lock downs could have prevented this”, connotatively signifies frustrated Australians and Labor politicians who advised for an early lockdown approach and blame the Liberal government for the implied poor management of the recent outbreak. Furthermore, Hall (257- 258) defines stereotyping as “reduc[ing] people to a few, simple, essential characteristics, which are represented as fixed by Nature”. The denotation of the children inside a classroom, with their faces edited with those of Liberal members and the text “Liberal” replacing the original term of “kids” in the quotation “if these Liberals could read, they’d be very upset”, connotatively signifies them as the stereotype of immature and emotional children. By utilizing the stereotype of children, it helps to construct the humor in the meme, further building a meaningful and entertaining role for viewers, especially those ideologically opposed to the Liberal party.

Site of circulation will be discussed regarding the Internet and digital distribution of the meme. Technologically, the original meme template and its variations have rapidly circulated on social media platforms like Facebook, Reddit and Instagram which were commonly used to ridicule or create humor out of a situation. The depicted meme was originally posted on the Australia Memes! (r/AusMemes) Reddit forum in mid-July 2021 which marked the beginning of the New South Wales coronavirus outbreak and subsequent restrictions enforced. Compositionally, through the digital circulation of the original meme template gaining popularity, it has been recognized to be appropriate and suitable for certain humor like the mockery of Liberals depicted in the chosen meme. Socially, unlike other variations of this meme, this one has primarily remained on the r/AusMemes Reddit page given its relevancy to Australians as it is an Australian political issue and thus, would not appeal to users in other countries. Ultimately, we can infer from the meme’s dissemination on the r/AusMemes page, that meme plays a political and meaningful role for Australians. Regarding audiencing, much more discussion of the decoded meanings will be articulated and explored. In the “Introduction” in Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, Hall’s asserts (5) that signifiers are encoded with meaning which are decoded by the audience or reader, that is, embedded messages within an object or image are meaningfully interpreted by the receiver. Technologically, given that the meme is of a digital nature, the main audience is generation z or individuals form 15-29 years of age who are typically the main users of memes in terms of political expression as asserted earlier in this essay. However, the audience is not limited to young people but also targets Australians as the meme relates to an Australian political issue. Compositionally, through the construction of the meme connotatively contrasting Australians bitterly telling the Liberals “early lock downs could have prevented all of this” and

the depicted childish Liberals in a classroom produces a division between the public and the Liberals on the issue of managing the pandemic. This dual construction of the image enables users to decode humor out of it, particularly when the Liberals are illustrated stereotypically as children. Socially, it is important to emphasis that Australia has economically and socially struggled with the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns which has heightened the sense of indignancy and frustration among Australians. Therefore, the audience are likely to accept the encoded messages like the Liberals being foolish for failing to prevent the outbreak worsening. This is evident because an overwhelming ninety-eight per cent of users have upvoted the meme and comments like “[w]e had soft lockdowns which failed and it’s the [Liberal] government’s fault” (The-dude-in-the-bush) highlighting a consensus that it was correct in its criticism of the Liberals and suitable for the type of humor on the r/AusMemes page. Ultimately, the first and secondary audiences’ decoding of the meme involves accepting the encoded humor, mockery and criticism of the Liberals, reinforcing the idea that memes are used as instruments for political and civic expression, particularly amongst frustrated Australians in the pandemic. Essentially, by drawing upon Rose’s framework of visual analysis and the theory of semiotics, we can view the expressive function of memes, especially politically and ideologically. Through examining the meme’s production, we can infer that the meme came into existence for political expression and amusement as it critiques the Liberal party through humor. By delving into the site of the image and its compositionality, the narrative regarding the division between Australians and the Liberal party, as well as stereotyping the Liberals as children supports the meme’s role in the civic voice. Furthermore, regarding the circulation of the meme, it can be deduced that Australians are most likely to engage with the meme as it originated on the r/AusMemes Reddit group. Finally, the ninety-eight per cent of upvotes and comments on the

meme post indicates that young individuals and Australians have accepted the embedded ideological criticism in the meme. Meme:

Figure 1 Source: r/AusMemes Reddit Group

Word Count: 1615 Works Cited List: Aiello, G. “Visual semiotics: Key concepts and new directions.” The Sage Handbook of Visual Research Methods, edited by L Pauwels & M Dawn, Sage, 2020, pp. 367–380. EISBN: 9781446268278 Australia Memes!, Apr 15, 2013, https://www.reddit.com/r/AusMemes/ . Hall, S. “Stereotyping as a Signifying Practice.” Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, edited by Hall, S, Sage, pp. 257–277. ISBN: 0761954325 Hall, S. “Introduction.” Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, edited by Hall, S, Sage, pp.1-11. Mihailidis, P. “The civic potential of memes and hashtags in the lives of young people.” Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, vol. 41, no.5, 2020, pp.762-781. DOI: 10.1080/01596306.2020.1769938 Rose, G. “Towards a Critical Visual Methodology.” Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to the Interpretation of Visual Materials, Sage, pp. 26–47. The-dude-in-the-bush. Australia Memes!, July 2020, https://www.reddit.com/r/AusMemes/comments/ojtywz/another_two_weeks_lads/ ....