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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/22/sharing-political-memes-isnt-as-frivolous-as-it-seems
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| Sharing political memes isn't as frivolous as it seems | Sharing political memes isn't as frivolous as it seems |
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| Just before the French Revolution, a flood of what we would now call memes swirled through the social networks of Paris. Obscene cartoons, jokes, songs and thousands of scandal sheets were the vehicle for circulating news, gossip and anecdotes about the ancien régime, from Marie Antoinette’s athletic sexual escapades to tales of gambling, corruption and despotism at court. Together, they told a simple, compelling story of a wicked political order that had to be changed. | |
| Today, we also use memes to think about the behaviour of the political class. They are not quite so detested as the aristocracy in pre-Revolutionary France, but are still significantly less well-regarded than Vegemite’s iSnack 2.0 at the nadir of its popularity. | Today, we also use memes to think about the behaviour of the political class. They are not quite so detested as the aristocracy in pre-Revolutionary France, but are still significantly less well-regarded than Vegemite’s iSnack 2.0 at the nadir of its popularity. |
| Since Australia’s federal budget was released last Tuesday, a swarm of memes has spread across social media, focused on everything from treasurer Joe Hockey’s pre-budget dance and penchant for cigars to the revelation that funding for ballet schools would be increased at the expense of the poor, sick and unemployed. | Since Australia’s federal budget was released last Tuesday, a swarm of memes has spread across social media, focused on everything from treasurer Joe Hockey’s pre-budget dance and penchant for cigars to the revelation that funding for ballet schools would be increased at the expense of the poor, sick and unemployed. |
| My favourite comment about the Hockey/Cormann cigar photo goes to @JaneCaro, so it's now a meme! #AusPol pic.twitter.com/1omCMXPXIh | My favourite comment about the Hockey/Cormann cigar photo goes to @JaneCaro, so it's now a meme! #AusPol pic.twitter.com/1omCMXPXIh |
| Sharing striking political images, videos and stories on social media is now an everyday feature of our lives. Yet it is often regarded by those on the left as frivolous, empty symbolism, a claim echoed by social media skeptics such as Malcolm Gladwell and Evgeny Morozov. Lazy slactivism, we are told, distracts us from changing things “in the real world”. | Sharing striking political images, videos and stories on social media is now an everyday feature of our lives. Yet it is often regarded by those on the left as frivolous, empty symbolism, a claim echoed by social media skeptics such as Malcolm Gladwell and Evgeny Morozov. Lazy slactivism, we are told, distracts us from changing things “in the real world”. |
| I think this is a classic case of digital dualism: the mistaken idea that our lives are divided into a phoney online experience and an authentic offline world, when both are thoroughly enmeshed. In fact, according to Ariadne Vromen, a political scientist from the University of Sydney, swapping political content online can be a vital building block of a much wider campaign: “It helps to build a shared sense of emotion,” she says. Memes and hashtags let us knit together disparate events, creating a cohesive narrative that resonates deeply with us. That makes them an indispensable tool for large crowds to self-organise, as seen in the March in May rallies. | I think this is a classic case of digital dualism: the mistaken idea that our lives are divided into a phoney online experience and an authentic offline world, when both are thoroughly enmeshed. In fact, according to Ariadne Vromen, a political scientist from the University of Sydney, swapping political content online can be a vital building block of a much wider campaign: “It helps to build a shared sense of emotion,” she says. Memes and hashtags let us knit together disparate events, creating a cohesive narrative that resonates deeply with us. That makes them an indispensable tool for large crowds to self-organise, as seen in the March in May rallies. |
| Miss me now? #ThreeWordBudget pic.twitter.com/TDYm015JZw | Miss me now? #ThreeWordBudget pic.twitter.com/TDYm015JZw |
| Vromen that social media also permits political participation by those who would never dream of attending the March in May (only 15% of Australians have ever been to a protest, much lower than many European nations). “Finding these other ways to communicate with one another, with people who think in the same way as you, is really important,” she says. | Vromen that social media also permits political participation by those who would never dream of attending the March in May (only 15% of Australians have ever been to a protest, much lower than many European nations). “Finding these other ways to communicate with one another, with people who think in the same way as you, is really important,” she says. |
| Social media not only helps us share emotion with like-minded peers but also disseminate news and information that may otherwise go unnoticed. Nowadays two-thirds of young people first hear about major news on social media, says Vromen. It’s no wonder her research has found that social media use is strongly correlated with young people’s political engagement. | Social media not only helps us share emotion with like-minded peers but also disseminate news and information that may otherwise go unnoticed. Nowadays two-thirds of young people first hear about major news on social media, says Vromen. It’s no wonder her research has found that social media use is strongly correlated with young people’s political engagement. |
| Humble memes can also provide an entry point into understanding complex ideas and systemic problems. Satirist Simon Hunt, whose alter ego Pauline Pantsdown is a profilic source of political memes on Facebook and Twitter, says he looks for striking juxtapositions and absurdities as a way to invite engagement on complicated issues. | Humble memes can also provide an entry point into understanding complex ideas and systemic problems. Satirist Simon Hunt, whose alter ego Pauline Pantsdown is a profilic source of political memes on Facebook and Twitter, says he looks for striking juxtapositions and absurdities as a way to invite engagement on complicated issues. |
| Hunt believes that online memes are actually well-suited to conveying the breadth of multi-faceted news stories such as the budget, with its vast implications for many different marginalised groups. “The more complex politics becomes, the more that the ability of social media to create multiple framings of the news into easily understood ideas becomes important,” he explains. | Hunt believes that online memes are actually well-suited to conveying the breadth of multi-faceted news stories such as the budget, with its vast implications for many different marginalised groups. “The more complex politics becomes, the more that the ability of social media to create multiple framings of the news into easily understood ideas becomes important,” he explains. |
| Memes can also, potentially, help to change minds. That’s because platforms such as Facebook give us the unique ability to share ideas among acquaintances or distant relatives well outside our immediate social circle, says Vromen (though when trying to persuade those with opposing views, we might be wise to build common ground rather than accentuating our differences, according to one theory of persuasion). | Memes can also, potentially, help to change minds. That’s because platforms such as Facebook give us the unique ability to share ideas among acquaintances or distant relatives well outside our immediate social circle, says Vromen (though when trying to persuade those with opposing views, we might be wise to build common ground rather than accentuating our differences, according to one theory of persuasion). |
| We shouldn’t overstate the ability of memes or hashtags to change the world. Some research suggests that token online gestures might lead to a lack of support for greater commitments, like donating to a campaign, due to a feeling that we’ve done enough. And even when social media does help to generate mass protests, the movement won’t necessarily achieve its goals; the Gezi protests in Turkey have done nothing to dislodge prime minister Erdoğan from power. | We shouldn’t overstate the ability of memes or hashtags to change the world. Some research suggests that token online gestures might lead to a lack of support for greater commitments, like donating to a campaign, due to a feeling that we’ve done enough. And even when social media does help to generate mass protests, the movement won’t necessarily achieve its goals; the Gezi protests in Turkey have done nothing to dislodge prime minister Erdoğan from power. |
| Yet while civic engagement on social media may not trigger a revolution that transforms our political class, it can certainly help to marshal a crowd at the gates of the Bastille. | Yet while civic engagement on social media may not trigger a revolution that transforms our political class, it can certainly help to marshal a crowd at the gates of the Bastille. |