As I scroll through my Tumblr feed, I see it overtaken by the latest iteration of opinion-based memes: Change My Mind guy. The image of a white, bearded man sitting at a table with a cup of coffee, the sign in front of the table reading, “Pineapple does not belong on pizza. Change my mind.” Simple. Funny. Tapping into an age-old debate that generates more playful jabs in taste than vitriol.
https://twitter.com/newsielarry/status/967501045420232704
Unfortunately, the original image is significantly less so, consisting of a sign that reads “Male Privilege is a myth. Change my mind,” as a part of a series run by Steven Crowder, a conservative YouTuber and podcaster whose subscriber and view count rocketed after the circulation of the meme began.
https://twitter.com/scrowder/status/964577508447449088
An argument could have been made that since people don’t typically care to look for the context of a meme, Crowder’s public image as a transphobic conservative wouldn’t matter anyways. However, the sheer increase in revenue—and even the launch of “Change My Mind” merch—derived from his newfound popularity shows that context is still relevant.
This is a case in which an offensive image is parodied, turned benign, and, as a result, benefits the offender due to the continuous distancing the image experienced as it was replicated, shared, and made viral. The core functionality of social media is encompassed by meme culture: information neatly packaged in small chunks, then quickly spread throughout an online network, sometimes losing its original meaning along the way.
The issue here is the decontextualization – images are removed from the context in which they were recorded and the person (if there is a person) becomes more of a symbol than a human being with their own worldviews and opinions that may or may not be harmful when put on a hypervisible platform. In the case of memes, this kind of decontextualization is usually harmless, as seen in many memes that use stock photos as a base image, such as Hungary’s “Hide the Pain, Harold.”
However, as we have encountered in class, social media’s tendency for decontextualization and virality has also led to blatant disinformation being spread quickly, especially amongst older generations. Cases to note are that of the refugee crisis, which led to many unrelated photos being taken out of context and captioned to imply that terrorists and floods of undeserving people were going to invade Central and Eastern European lands. In this case, people are taking something benign and markedly turning it into something potentially harmful.
The surface purpose of memes is humor, but ultimately, they are still packages of information relying on certain frameworks of understanding in order to function as a joke. Similar to modern propaganda, they do not necessarily pass a black and white judgement; rather, they utilize the subtle implications of humor to create a value statement. When used in campaigns to fuel xenophobia and racism, the most that can be done is to bring back the original image’s context to render the new context’s message as false.
I say this, because Russia famously banned the making or use of memes that depict public figures in a way that “has no relation to [their] personality” in 2015, meaning any image-based memes have to relate somewhat to the original context intended by the subject. This approach to suppressing mockery of the Russian state and its leader only generated derision and was itself made into a meme. Russia’s direct attack was not only an infringement of free speech, but it was also an ineffective tactic in countering a culture built on humor and irreverence.
Ultimately, memes as alternative communication is as double-sided as many other aspects of social media. It can be a vehicle for falsehood and propaganda. It can be used as catharsis after traumatic events. It can be witty commentary on current situations. What matters here is context and our willingness to be critical consumers, to define the information not just as we see it, but also as it was meant to be seen.
Featured image courtesy of Scott Ingram
Social Media@ NYUPraha 