WTF is meme culture? / memes anatomy.

RAGE AGAINST MEME
THE MAINSTREAM
CULTURE

Meet the
MEMES

They’re everywhere on
the Internet.
Especially where you least
expect them.

(here, for example)

RAGEAGAINST THE MAINSTREAM - MEME :CULTURE
RAGE AGAINST THE MAINSTREAM LA CULTURE DU MÈME So Cult &
So Cult &

This is a
NYAN CAT
100 MILLION
views on Youtube
since April 2011

Media sale equivalent:

5 MILLION €*

*Cost-Per-View: 0,05 euros

Find out more about Nyan Cat...

RAGE AGAINST THETHE MAINSTREAM :CULTURE
RAGEAGAINST THE MAINSTREAM -- MEME CULTURE
RAGE AGAINST MAINSTREAM MEME LA CULTURE DU MÈME So Cult &
So Cult &

“4CHAN IS GROUND ZERO OF
A NEW GENERATION
OF HACKERS, MEME
THOSE WHO is

ARE BENT ON HACKING HACKING
the attention
THE ATTENTION ECONOMY.” economy.

danah boyd sdf

RAGE AGAINST THE THE MAINSTREAMCULTURE MÈME DU MÈME
RAGEAGAINST THEMAINSTREAM - :-MEME :CULTURE
RAGE AGAINST MAINSTREAM MEME LA CULTURE
RAGE AGAINST THE MAINSTREAM LA CULTURE DU So Cult &
So Cult &

The layman
might not grasp
the usefulness of
MEMES.

It’s possible.

RAGE AGAINST THE MAINSTREAM LA CULTURE DU So Cult & (là, par exemple)
So Cult &

BACKGROUND
NOISE

So Cult &

What if this permanent
background noise was
the reflection of a

GENUINE
CULTURE

So Cult &

Breathe here.

So Cult &

Being stupid
has always
been cool.

So Cult &

Caricature and parody
have always existed.
(it helps amuse your friends)

HELLO # TROLL

So Cult &

Being stupid is
easy...

You just have to
dare.

So Cult &

Given that humans
love to share and
laugh together.
(we put kittens instead of humans
because kittens are cute)

So Cult &

Laughing together
at stupid things
is the best way
to create social ties.

RAGE AGAINST THE THE MAINSTREAMCULTURE
RAGEAGAINST THEMAINSTREAM - -MEME :CULTURE
So Cult &

Except in the past,
we only shared our
stupid and mean jokes
with those close to us.
(a.k.a. the LULZ)

«Lulz is the one good reason to do
anything, from trolling to rape. After
every action taken, you must make
the epilogic dubious disclaimer: "I
did it for the lulz".»
Source : Urban Dictionary

So Cult &

Then came the

INTERNET

So Cult &

The popularization of

NEW
TECHNOLOGIES

So Cult &

The creation of content
became easy.

RAGE AGAINST MAINSTREAM MEME LA CULTURE@aubreykake
Copyright DU MÈME So Cult &
So Cult &

And so did the
production of
content.

RAGE AGAINST MAINSTREAM MEME LA CULTURE DU MÈME
http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/iphone-telephoto-lens/ So Cult &
So Cult &

And its broadcast...

one click
=
a potential
global audience

So Cult &

In the past, it was:

creation

production

broadcast

It was the privilege of those
who were capable.
The others watched.

RAGE AGAINST MAINSTREAM MEME LA CULTURE DU MÈME
RAGE AGAINST THE MAINSTREAM - MEME CULTURE So Cult &
So Cult &

Creation
Production
Broadcast

The three entrance
gates gave way.

So Cult &

Free creation
Free production
Free broadcast
+ Social Media

Broadcast in real time
and on a worldwide
playground.

Fresco hand-drawn by Cyril Rimbaud

So Cult &

Free creation
Free production
Free broadcast
+ Social Media
X
LULZ
=

So Cult &

So Cult &

Memes?

So Cult &

EPIC WIN !
hihihi

So Cult &

OK.
But what is a meme?

So Cult &

A meme is
“a cultural entity or
behavior transmitted
from one person to
another by imitation or
by any other non-genetic
means”

Richard Dawkins’
deﬁnition -1972.
(That’s him. He’s very serious,)

So Cult &

Meme is:
a concept
an idea
a behavior

... countless variations.
AN EXAMPLE: THE RICKROLL

“Did you know?”: “rickrolling” (tricking
someone by leading him/her towards a Rick
Astley video via a link seemingly relevant to
the topic at hand) comes from “duckroll”,
which was invented by the waggish members
of 4chan.
(it’s the same principle but with a photo of a
duck on wheels)

So Cult &

Meme is:

a concept
an idea
a behaviour

...countless variations.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE: THE GODWIN LAW

Godwin’s law: “As an online
discussion grows longer, the
probablility of a comparison involving
Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.” (Mike
Godwin)
The Godwin Law is now popular ofﬂine
as well as online (social media).
small crochet Hitler:
http://lealamiss.blogspot.fr

So Cult &

Memes can adapt
to all formats
available on the Internet
(or elsewhere):
photo

video

text

audio

...and a thousand other formats
that we haven’t heard of yet.

So Cult &

Memes can take any
shape or form.

It doesn’t matter..
What counts is the

ATTITUDE

So Cult &

A catchy concrete
American example
to help
you understand.

So Cult &

This is how it
begins…

An event linked to:

A current event

A celebrity

A triggering factor

May 26th 2011:
The Telegraph’s «Picture of the Day».
President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, on
a state visit to London, react as the car carrying
Queen Elizabeth arrives. The photograph was
taken by a Reuters photojournalist.

So Cult &

Later that day came:

NOT
BAD
OBAMA
a comic strip posted on
the Reddit platform
creation time:
approximately
1mn30
(ok, maybe 5 mn if you count *le photoshopping*)

Source: Know Your Meme

So Cult &

NOT
BAD
OBAMA
A hundred spontaneous
variations were submitted
in the next few days,
while the original
«not bad Obama»
continued its career.

So Cult &

NOT
BAD
OBAMA

an underground
epiphenomenon
which has become
a mass LOL

So Cult &

Better still:
On August 26th 2012
Barack Obama
visited Reddit
(source of the
Not Bad Meme)
for a 30 minute AMA...

“AMA” = “Ask Me Anything”:
A Reddit forum.
(Individuals connect to the platform
and host their own Q&A sessions.)

So Cult &

Obama concluded
his AMA with
these words:
...What I think
about this whole
reddit experience -
NOT BAD!

So Cult &

Here is what you’ll find if you google: “not bad meme” in 2012

So Cult &

A concept
An idea
A behaviour
An attitude

OK
What else?

A

MEME
CULTURE

So Cult &

Culture:

In the sociological ﬁeld, a
culture consists of the
beliefs, activities and
practices common to the
members of a particular
group or society.

So Cult &

Creating memes
means drawing on
common internet
knowledge.

So Cult &

Meme production is
based on a range
of activities from
digital culture.

So Cult &

Broadcasting memes
means taking part in a
series of internet pratices
(lulz, hacking, sharing...).

So Cult &

Common knowledge

Common activities

Common pratices

MEME
CULTURE

...consequently,
this is a cultural object.

So Cult &

MEME
CULTURE

A meme is an
IDENTITY
MARKER
speciﬁc to a community and
proving one belongs to this
community.

So Cult &

MEME
CULTURE

A meme is a
STATUTORY
MARKER
that distinguishes an
insider from a layman.

So Cult &

Let’s take a look
at the

INNER
WORKINGS
of a

MEME
So Cult &

The
INNER
WORKINGS
of a
MEME

CUSTOMIZATION

So Cult &

The
INNER
WORKINGS
of a
MEME

CONTEXTUALIZATION

So Cult &

The
INNER
WORKINGS
of a
MEME

REPRODUCTION

So Cult &

The
INNER
WORKINGS
of a
MEME

POPULARIZATION

So Cult &

This is a
TROLLFACE
A simple MS Paint drawing
posted in 2008 on Deviantart. It has
become the universal symbol of trolling.

What Google says about
Trollface :

Monthly search «troll face» or «trollface» (World): 2 323 000

Historically, "trolling" designates a malicious behavior with
the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional
response...

So Cult &

IDENTITY MARKER
+ CUSTOMIZATION REPRODUCTION CONTEXTUALIZATION POPULARIZATION
STATUTORY MARKER
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
RESONANCE AND INVESTMENT SHIFTING CONTEXT
I CAN PLAY TOO CURATORS MEMETIC RESIDUE
STIMULATION IN STREAM

Inspiration: Internet Memes Explained Through Hipster Ariel by clearfx87

RAGE AGAINST THETHE MAINSTREAM CULTURE MÈME DU MÈME
RAGE AGAINST THE MAINSTREAM -- MEME :CULTURE
RAGE AGAINST MAINSTREAM : LA CULTURE DU
MEME LA CULTURE So Cult &
So Cult &

CAN BRANDS
PENETRATE THE
MEME
WORLD

So Cult &

For a brand, entering
the digital market
is like opening a toy box,
but it also means facing
the attacks of an expert
audience.

So Cult &

Awkwardly taking over an
existing field of expression
means running
the risk of rejection.
And ridicule.
So Cult &

On the Internet,
brands need their
audience.

But does the
audience
need brands

So Cult &

MEMES
instantly grab the
attention of the toughest
audience.

So Cult &

Their similarities:

SCORN
CYNISM
ANTI-CONFORMISM
ANTI-BULLSHIT
... and an
incredible ability
to decode “brand talk”.

So Cult &

Ok. What next?

So Cult &

STAY HUMBLE

A brand cannot
take possession of
a meme.

The meme
precedes the brand.

Opposite,
the Wonderful Pistachios Keyboard Cat
(2010 / 1,9 million views on Youtube)
inspired by the original Keyboard Cat
(2007 / 26 million views on Youtube)

So Cult &

YOU CAN’T
PLEASE
EVERYONE
DEAL WITH IT
Memes often divide.
It’s one of their driving force.
IDENTITY STATUTORY
MARKER MARKER

So Cult &

Skittles on Twitter :

PLAY YOUR
PART
On the Internet, a brand is a
Joaquin Phoenix acting «Bitch, Please.»
(Venise Mostra 2012) character. It is pointless to
change it entirely in order to
enter a community.

No one will buy it.

It is better to engage in a dialogue
with the targeted communities on
fields that are compatible with the
brand’s editorial DNA...

So Cult &

BREAK AWAY
FROM YOUR
BRAND
PLATFORM

It’s a good idea, but only
if you don’t have a brand platform...
When Vitautas, obscure Lithuanian
mineral water, draws on digital
VItautas Mineral Water Video
culture for its now cult video,
the brand has nothing to lose.
So Cult &

PLAY BY THE RULES
(OR LACK OF)

A ‘detournement’
can become a KPI.
(admittedly going against copyright...)

Dos Equis Beer made an excellent advert, which
unintentionally became a popular meme:
“The most interesting man in the world”

So Cult &

IN
A NUTSHELL

So Cult &

STAY HUMBLE

YOU CAN’T PLEASE EVERYONE - DEAL WITH IT

PLAY YOUR PART

BREAK AWAY FROM YOUR BRAND
PLATFORM
(YES, BUT MOSTLY NO)

PLAY BY THE RULES
(OR LACK OF)

So Cult &

The future of

MEMES

Can they become cult enough
to go down IRL history?

So Cult &

Memes do not limit
themselves to
digital media.

So Cult &

Created on the Internet,
memes enter the real
world as cultural objects...

So Cult &

... and become
a popular art.

Incidentally,
it is an art that trolls itself.

So Cult &

Rage Faces
become
arty pop
icons

... like Warhol’s
Marilyn

So Cult &

Memetization
is potentially
infinite.

So Cult &

Whatever trouble,
whatever ﬂaw,
whatever screw-up,
it can be exploited.
The subjects of memes
are inﬁnite.

A meme
can even
be about
a meme.
Let us
show you a
metameme!

So Cult &

Easy creation
Easy production
Easy broadcast
Infinite variations
Immediate buzz

In the attention economy,
memes represent a
tremendous threat
to all content editors.

So Cult &

... they have a major
competitive
advantage:
they don’t give a
damn about
copyright.

So Cult &

MEMES : HACKING THE ATTENTION ECONOMY SINCE 2000.
Star Wars Kid (2002)
Lying Down Game (2000) Wii Fit Girl (2008)
Chocolate Rain (2007)

Technovicking (2007) Rage Guy (2008) Trololo (2009)
Dramatic Chipmunk (2007)

Bed intruder (2010) Condescending Wonka (2011)
Scumbag Steve (2011) Owling (2011)

So Cult &

MEME is

HACKING
the attention
economy.

So Cult &

There’s

NO
REASON
why it should
ever stop.

So Cult &

Thank you for your attention.

So Cult &

To find out more:

Audience profiles

Detailed case studies

Personal recommendations

Contact us.

Brand persona, brand content, social & Curiouser helps companies adapt to
digital storytelling: So/Cult assists brands digital media, via assessments,
and content editors who wish to meet the strategic workshops and training..
challenges of the attention economy.

www.socult.net www.curiouser.fr
us@socult.net contact@curiouser.fr

Twitter: @so_cult Twitter: @curiousers

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WTF is meme culture? / memes anatomy.

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WTF is meme culture? / memes anatomy.