And I do mean that honestly, it’s not like he’s empowered by people making memes of him. He receives no benefit, there is no gain. If I used Hitler in a meme because he made a funny face, that isn’t an endorsement of his actions or beliefs, sometimes a meme is just a meme.
I know you weren’t asking me, but to chime in, it’s safer to say that the circumstances of memeing are actually way more complex than we give credit. I’d argue that it’s rarely the case that a meme is just a meme. Situations where an event or a person becomes a meme can be totally misinterpreted, reinterpreted or otherwise change from reality. Memes are used tools, many times as propaganda, and who is in a meme possibly, does have an effect. Memeing is actually a big complex part of the human experience! Especially since proliferation of the internet.
Why?
And I do mean that honestly, it’s not like he’s empowered by people making memes of him. He receives no benefit, there is no gain. If I used Hitler in a meme because he made a funny face, that isn’t an endorsement of his actions or beliefs, sometimes a meme is just a meme.
I know you weren’t asking me, but to chime in, it’s safer to say that the circumstances of memeing are actually way more complex than we give credit. I’d argue that it’s rarely the case that a meme is just a meme. Situations where an event or a person becomes a meme can be totally misinterpreted, reinterpreted or otherwise change from reality. Memes are used tools, many times as propaganda, and who is in a meme possibly, does have an effect. Memeing is actually a big complex part of the human experience! Especially since proliferation of the internet.
Anyway, it’s interesting to think about.