The rooted studies known five chief categories of meme quiddities that joined hours towards same household members: Object, specific profile, simple reputation, step, and you will terms. Following the difference between tangible visual quiddities and you will conceptual textual of them (Lewis, 2012 ; Spitzberg, 2014 ), i developed a measurement to possess quiddity concreteness. The first a couple of groups-objects (such as for example Mentos during the “Diet Mentos”) and you may specific characters (including Bert into the “Bert are Evil”)-was highly visible and you will tangible. Common characters (such as the certain kitties inside the “LOLcats”) and you can strategies (for instance the dancing actions during the “The new Advancement out of Dancing”) are still apparent, but their symptom you may move from one including to some other. In the long run, instead of apparent things, phrases may be the least concrete or the really conceptual of the many kinds. After this office, we mentioned the newest part of occasions within the for every family relations one contained keeps from all the groups. For every meme instance from inside the a family group must include about one type of quiddity. Brand new quiddity concreteness peak is actually received for every meme family relations established into the weighted countless the 5-quiddity organizations: object and you will certain reputation (1), general profile and you will tips (0), and you can keywords (?1).
Quiddity items
Into the RQ1 i expected exactly what are the prevalent sorts of quiddities you to bind meme household together. The data revealed that step is the most frequently employed quiddity from the sample (42.2% from meme circumstances), with terms (38.5%). Particular reputation (29%) and object (23%) was basically less common, that have general character (15.7%) behind at the rear of. It is very important keep in mind that all of our findings demonstrate that the latest chief quiddity is mostly distinctive from the universal qualities lookin in the brand new codebook for most meme parents. In reality, inside the 90% of one’s meme families, new quiddity is certain which means that was not within the simple characteristics. Including, throughout the “Superstar Battles Son” members of the family, the newest operate off fighting which have laser swords is a highly specific quiddity, which means that cannot become captured because of the universal features of the codebook.
Inside the RQ2 i questioned and therefore templates, versions, and you will participation formations are prevalent (and you may limited) inside modern internet sites memes. We unearthed that popular culture (twenty-six.5%), restaurants (19.1%) and you may the latest news (sixteen.3%) was the most famous topics; nationality (2.6%), newest incidents (step 3.2%), and works and you may a job (step three.3%) had been at least common information. In terms of sex, male members (59.4%) was basically illustrated two times as often given that girls people (twenty seven.3%). Toddlers and young adults (38.7%) searched most, when you’re elder participants was indeed the least represented (5.6%) in terms of generation. Caucasian people (forty-two.5%) were by far the most represented ethnic classification, while Hispanic or Latino members the least (0.2%). Eventually, with respect to mode, really period have been photos (56%) or clips (42.6%) instead of sheer textual memes (1%). Typically, such findings corroborate certain observations produced in the fresh new qualitative degree explained over, in which the memetic industries are called dominated from the more youthful, light boys. Regarding themes, media-created playfulness appears to have become even more high than just wedding which have government. So based on detailed analytics at least, politics is pretty limited from the memetic areas. Yet ,, because the unfolded less than, network study will tell all of us a far more state-of-the-art tale.
The fresh new cohesiveness out of universal functions within the meme household
Just like the detail by detail over, among seeks associated with investigation was to view the Korean sex dating site newest extent away from cohesiveness away from meme families with regards to the universal functions (RQ3). Shape 2 shows the brand new circle out of memes discussing equivalent content characteristics. To produce brand new visual analysis better, we inform you right here simply five meme household you to definitely express a couple otherwise more services. How big the new node represents its community degree, put simply, what other meme circumstances they offers stuff functions which have. Like, the first meme regarding “Get-off Britney Alone” is the biggest node, sharing no less than a couple blogs functions having 56 (out-of 83) almost every other meme era. “Graffiti” and you will “Birmingham” is both cases of the brand new “Pepper Sprinkle Policeman” meme relatives. They are the minuscule nodes from the system, revealing a couple stuff features which have several almost every other meme instances. The new thickness of your own link signifies the number of common attributes. Particularly, the latest connections anywhere between instances of brand new “Exit Britney By yourself” are extremely heavy, which means that he or she is very similar to each other in terms out-of content. The first meme as well as days share to nine (out of 16) content attributes together.