Elad Segev, Asaf Nissenbaum, Nathan Stolero, Limor Shifman, Family members and you will Systems out of Sites Memes: The partnership Ranging from Cohesiveness, Uniqueness, and you can Quiddity Concreteness, Log out of Computer system-Mediated Correspondence, Frequency 20, Point cuatro, , Users 417–433,
Abstract
This study utilizes a huge-level quantitative study to reveal structural models out of websites memes, centering on 2 pushes you to definitely join him or her together with her: the brand new quiddities of each meme relatives together with general top features of brand new greater memetic sphere. Having fun with posts and you can community data from 1013 meme circumstances (plus video, photos, and you may text message), we discuss memes’ prevalent quiddity types and common have, additionally the ways in which it connect with each other. The findings demonstrate that (a) large cohesiveness away from meme household is with the a heightened uniqueness of its generic characteristics; and you will (b) the latest concreteness away from meme quiddities is actually of cohesiveness and you may individuality. We discuss the implications of them results into knowledge of sites memes and you will participatory society.
Websites memes, pieces of electronic posts you to definitely give inside the online in different iterations, have has just stimulated scholarly attract all over multiple industries ( Bennett Segerberg, 2012; Milner, 2012; Shifman, 2013). Although many knowledge bring a good qualitative method of examining the cultural concept of memes, regarding the following the blog post we use large-level decimal study so you can reveal certain laws and you will regularities underpinning that it fundamentally crazy areas. Memes is a part of the fresh new terrifically boring “web diet” of many Online users, casually showing up into the check outs to help you networks particularly Youtube, Twitter, and you will Reddit. The memetic dynamic was from the becoming trivial. Needed disparate users internationally to perform when you look at the show, carrying out and you may releasing posts from inside the several differences together divergent networks, while maintaining their affinity and preferred features.
This papers aims at losing white how Internet sites memes are tied up with her even after their vibrant and you can playful contexts regarding articulation. Within the first part i put the backdrop for the expedition of the highlighting the stress amongst the attributes of individual meme instances, meme group, in addition to whole memetic system. We establish internet memes as groups of electronic textual units composed and provided by many people, that are sure along with her because of the two pushes: (a) a shared quiddity which is particular to every members of the family, constituting its only 1 substance; and (b) much more general qualities of form, articles, and position one to mark towards exhibitions of “meme community.” Building with this abstract huge difference, i present in the next region the brand new seeks powering this research: to incorporate a summary and you can research of the prevalent quiddities and you may common attributes of sites memes and to investigation the newest connections anywhere between him or her. In particular, we wish to check the connection between your cohesiveness from meme household (we.age., the fresh the total amount to which period are like one another), new individuality of your common qualities underpinning him or her, as well as the concreteness of quiddities joining him or her. To address this type of goals, we working blogs data towards the a wide take to from meme instances, after that added mathematical and you may system research. In the concluding section, we explore exactly how the investigation, according to the theoretic difference in quiddities and standard 
features, falls out light for the dualities away from “networked selves” constituting contemporary digital societies.
Meme Families and you may Binding Quiddities
The phrase meme is coined because of the Richard Dawkins on the Self-centered Gene ( 1976) to describe short devices out of community you to give away from person to person because of the duplicating otherwise replica. Considering it initially conceptualization, memes could be abstract info, texts or techniques. Memetic diffusion lies in a mix of repetition and you may type: Due to the fact ability to reproduce memes in numerous contexts was fundamental on their victory, re-design should be versatile sufficient to adapt to switching affairs. It state from flux leads to a propensity to define memes only retrospectively, after they provides propagated. Ergo, for example, the first four cards off Beethoven’s 5th Symphony was in fact identified as a great meme merely after they traveled to numerous parts of this new globe and you can were provided in the many cultural artifacts spanning commercials, kid’s programming, and you can video ( Blackmore, 1999).