Blog post 4 - McKay
I have chosen to discuss the first articulation, understanding the relationship between the media message and its contents; the way in which this content is received and the ways in which the message is carried across all types of media. Martin Luther created ideas and a theses, later turning it into documents, the 95 Theses. Martin Luther understood that creating physical copies of his text, and giving them away; with the combined efforts of word of mouth, more people could be in touch with his documents. To his great surprise however, these documents blew up in popularity, and went ‘viral’. His documents provided insights to real issues that other individuals were aware of, creating the importance of sharing it to their peers, and in turn created popularity around Martin Luther’s text.
In “OH LAWD HE COMIN” , the internet cat meme, its popularity, and relationship to its distribution came from the use of social media, rather than physical copies of a document. This internet meme rose to popularity through the ability to share photos online, and the website LOLcats. This meme played a joke about cats, and their sizes, with the biggest cat being the scariest, and creating the “OH LAWD HE COMIN” reaction. Unlike Martin Luther's 95 Theses, this meme was shared via online, and the ability for virtually any user to gain access to it. Also, Martin Luther's 95 Theses did not have nearly as much accessibility due to it being a limited, physical copy, unlike an online meme such as “OH LAWD HE COMIN” that again, virtually all users have access too.
Nice post - you highlighted a notable factor that Luther's Theses was a paper document and was disseminated through the public differently than the internet cat meme, while both made a significant cultural impact. I think you can assess both Luther's 95 Theses and the internet cat meme through the second articulation as well, analyzing its impact as a mode of communication, mode of affect and a mode of accumulation. By resharing, reposting and referencing this cat meme, it created an online symbolic meaning and emotion driving cultural significance through digital media for a certain time period. I don't particularly remember this meme taking over social media spaces, but I know of other cat memes that have gained popularity online. Do you think the initial user who posted the "OH LAWD HE COMIN" cat meme thought it would grow to such popularity or not?
ReplyDeleteReally good post! I think your distinction that Luther published his work on paper and the "OH LAWD HE COMIN" meme was posted online is important. This was something I missed in my discussion but it is important nonetheless. I would also agree that due to this difference, the internet cat meme was definitely able to gain more popularity as well as the opportunity to go viral. I also think it is important to recognize that, regardless of the platform and accessibility to technology, anything has the opportunity to go viral. Do you think that the content is important to what goes viral? Or is it all up to chance?
ReplyDeleteHi McKay, you make a very valid point about the physical versus digital nature of the two examples and how this affected their accessibility. Had Martin Luther's 95 Theses been shared online today, do you think it would have the potential to go as viral as the internet cat meme went? What factors would contribute to this? I was inspired by Abby's question above about how much the content is important to what goes viral. Of course, the societal context of today compared to that of the past also has a big impact, since Luther's ideas were controversial for his time but may not be today.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your insightful analysis of the first articulation and how it applies to Martin Luther's 95 Theses and the "OH LAWD HE COMIN" internet cat meme. It's interesting to see how accessibility plays a crucial role in the viral spread of media texts, with online memes having a wider reach compared to physical documents. Overall, your comparison effectively illustrates the evolving nature of media dissemination and its impact on viral phenomena. Great Post Colin
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