Theory of Knowledge - Course Companion for Students Marija Uzunova Dang Arvin Singh Uzunov Dang
of who falls for fake news is notpredictoror political affiliation, but age. Asideologynatives, your generation has the literacydigitalbetter navigate the online world. This sectiontoanother phenomenon from 2016, whichexamineshave had an outsize effect on the politicalmayon where and how old you wereDependingthe time, you may have encountered theatMeme War of 2016. Meme culture can beGreatbaffling to the uninitiated; it wasprofoundlythese grounds that it was initially dismissedonunderestimated by mainstream politicalandThere is a growing appreciation todayculture.political memes have transcended theirthatbeginnings in digital subcultures andobscurea profound influence on young people’shavecan also shape political life moreMemesCertainly, memes can set the tone ofbroadly.debate, especially for young people,politicalwas the case with Bernie Sanders’ DankasStash Facebook group and The DonaldMemein the lead-up to the 2016 USsubredditliteracy aects the online political discourseDigitaldierent people’s ability to participate andandto it. The question of digital literacy iscontributein Chapter 3.discussedculture moves at a dizzying pace andMemeplaying catch-up are regularly outed asthoseWhen Hillary Clinton learned hownormies.dab on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”, urgedtoto Pokémon GO to the polls, and took tovotersasking followers to summarize how theyTwitterabout their student debt in three emojis orfeelit backfired and was seen as exploiting youthless,culture for political gain. That an entire genrepopfairly popular memes exists about how “theofcan’t meme” only suggests that the liberalleftis falling behind in this politicalmainstreamThis could matter beyond who is cooltactic.uncool on the internet, and have materialanduser-generated content, made up ofViralinside jokes, dominated thesubculturalonline media outlets in terms ofestablishedthe newly politicized youth. Belowreachingthe words of 26-year-old Sean Walsh, one ofaretwo original moderators of Bernie Sanders’thegeneration’s memes are that generation’sThisor Hungton Post… . Seriously, memesC-SPANgoing to be very prevalent in politics. They’reareto get ideas into your head.goingthose who worry that “the future ofMightdiscourse only gets shallower and lesspolitical(Dewey 2016) have a point?Or isinformed”worry misplaced or overstated?thisIII. Methods and toolsIII. Methods and toolsMaking connectionsDigital literacysensibilities of the younger generations.Case studyPepe the Frog, Harambe and thedivisive politics of digital antiestablishmentsubculturespolitical affinities.implications for the future of political discourse.Dank Meme Stash.(Walsh quoted in Dewey 2016)Presidential election.47
III. Methods and toolsend of the political spectrumWhicheveroriginated from, these memes carried atheyanti-establishment sentiment andsignaturein volumes that had no parallel amongcamehave offered the example of memeWesurrounding the US Presidentialculturebecause it might be culturallyelectionlinguistically accessible to manyandof this book. But outside ofreaderspolitics, and indeed the EnglishUSinternets, political memes arelanguagein various contexts. Discuss theproducedHow would you explain their success4.reach, or their lack of successandTo what extent are memes an effective5.of communicating knowledgeformWhat are the limitations of memes in6.of communicating knowledgetermspolitics, and how might theseaboutbe overcome?limitationsmeme subcultures are generallyPoliticalsubversive, grassroots andyouth-led,In other words, they are everythingcollective.the cyberevangelists told us to bethatpower of the internet. Thesedemocratizingalso marked progressivecharacteristicsmay have expected political memes andWewho produce them to also be politicallythosewe may have been wrong.progressive—andNagle is author of Kill All Normies:AngelaCulture Wars from 4Chan and TumblrOnlineTrump and the Alt-Right and wrote thetodescribes the online alt-right as aNaglegroup of anti-politically-heterogeneousmeme-makers, trolls and abusers,correctunified in their suspicion of insinceritylooselycompetitive liberal virtue-signalling. Ininof her more controversial claims Nagleonethat these groups were at least partlysuggestsbacklash against the moral high-groundingaself-righteousness of the organized onlineandshaming phenomenon. She claims it waspublica reaction to the performative wokeness ofalsopolitics, with its overzealous policingidentityany and all linguistic and cultural offences.ofagain, it is impossible to disentangle whoThenreacting to whom in the feedback loops ofwasthat followed.outragesee how this happened, and why so manyTonot see it happening until it did, let’s take adidlook at the transgressive methods adoptedcloserthe digital alt-right, enabled by the samebytools that accompanied the ArabtechnologicalOccupy Wall Street, Anonymous andSpring,2countercultural groups of past decades.the mainstream media.For discussionPolitical memesfollowing.This was unlike the culture wars of the 60s or the90s, in which a typically older age cohort of moraland cultural conservatives fought against a tideof cultural secularization and liberalism amongtheyoung.(Nagle 2017)followingquestions.1. What do political memes look like inyour context?What do you know about who2.them, and why? Where doproducesthey appear?What would you say is their influence3.the political affinities of yourongeneration?andreach?about politics?excited about in terms of the organizing andWikileaks.48
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of who falls for fake news is not
predictor
or political affiliation, but age. As
ideology
natives, your generation has the literacy
digital
better navigate the online world. This section
to
another phenomenon from 2016, which
examines
have had an outsize effect on the political
may
on where and how old you were
Depending
the time, you may have encountered the
at
Meme War of 2016. Meme culture can be
Great
baffling to the uninitiated; it was
profoundly
these grounds that it was initially dismissed
on
underestimated by mainstream political
and
There is a growing appreciation today
culture.
political memes have transcended their
that
beginnings in digital subcultures and
obscure
a profound influence on young people’s
have
can also shape political life more
Memes
Certainly, memes can set the tone of
broadly.
debate, especially for young people,
political
was the case with Bernie Sanders’ Dank
as
Stash Facebook group and The Donald
Meme
in the lead-up to the 2016 US
subreddit
literacy aects the online political discourse
Digital
dierent people’s ability to participate and
and
to it. The question of digital literacy is
contribute
in Chapter 3.
discussed
culture moves at a dizzying pace and
Meme
playing catch-up are regularly outed as
those
When Hillary Clinton learned how
normies.
dab on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”, urged
to
to Pokémon GO to the polls, and took to
voters
asking followers to summarize how they
about their student debt in three emojis or
feel
it backfired and was seen as exploiting youth
less,
culture for political gain. That an entire genre
pop
fairly popular memes exists about how “the
of
can’t meme” only suggests that the liberal
left
is falling behind in this political
mainstream
This could matter beyond who is cool
tactic.
uncool on the internet, and have material
and
user-generated content, made up of
Viral
inside jokes, dominated the
subcultural
online media outlets in terms of
established
the newly politicized youth. Below
reaching
the words of 26-year-old Sean Walsh, one of
are
two original moderators of Bernie Sanders’
the
generation’s memes are that generation’s
This
or Hungton Post… . Seriously, memes
C-SPAN
going to be very prevalent in politics. They’re
are
to get ideas into your head.
going
those who worry that “the future of
Might
discourse only gets shallower and less
political
(Dewey 2016) have a point?Or is
informed”
worry misplaced or overstated?
this
III. Methods and tools
III. Methods and tools
Making connections
Digital literacy
sensibilities of the younger generations.
Case study
Pepe the Frog, Harambe and the
divisive politics of digital antiestablishment
subcultures
political affinities.
implications for the future of political discourse.
Dank Meme Stash.
(Walsh quoted in Dewey 2016)
Presidential election.
47
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