After exploring how memes function as offline artefacts (Intervention 2) and how people attach meaning to objects (Interventions 3 & 4), I wanted to observe how people actively build meaning rather than just interpreting it. Based on the previous blog post about the planning of this intervention, I decided to create it as a participatory…

Following the previous intervention that explored the sense of belonging within memes, I wanted to find a method to collect and visualise how memes evolve beyond the screen. The shift from observing and interpreting to now inviting others to create meaning and see their interpretations. Almost an evolved version of the Offline Artefact Intervention #2.…

In my previous intervention, I asked people to share meme-related items in their homes. The purpose was to explore people’s relationship with items and objects. My path so far has been studying memes as isolated cultural artefacts; however, I now need to move toward understanding the social glue they create. That sense of shared recognition…

On Halloween, my friends and I decided to go to The Queen Adelaide, a vibrant queer venue known for its kitsch and camp decor, located in Hackney. Prior to attending the event, I kept my project in mind and whether I would be able to uncover anything that could help me. The general crowd that…

Something that has poked out during the action research portion of this project is that Gen Z humor operates on context, absurdity, and irony in a way that resists traditional participation. It is something innate that comes up rather than something calculated and thought through. Postmillennials have been studied to have a deep sense of…

Above you can see a collage of the many objects I’ve collected over the years to decorate my home. The more items I add, the more at home I feel. It is important to acknowledge that I only allow items that emit joy and that I feel are a representation of me. It has been…

“The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe” (Berger, J. 2008, page 5) Memes are a prime example of how our interpretation of text and images is affected by our surroundings. As seen in my previous research, memes have become a tool for post-millennials to set themselves apart…

As part of my research, I’ve picked up Erin Meyer’s The Culture Map to help me decode how people think and how cultural context shapes a situation. While the book focuses on the differences between countries, the same notion can be applied to applications, as each one has different ways of behaving. While all of…

Evan Lorant, an MSc student in Digital Anthropology at University College London, or what I call him, the meme theorist, who specialises in the intersection of identity in both digital and physical spaces, was the perfect stakeholder to include in my intervention. Evan participated in the intervention and also provided feedback afterwards. The most important…

Having the opportunity to meet with Dalston Super Stoned -@dalstonupperstoned (titled after the famous queer nightclub Dalston Super Store) was necessary for me to engage with someone who is deeply embedded in the world of niche memes and hyper-online culture. Known for their irreverent, Gen Z-oriented queer humor and trend awareness, and writing for publications…

This intervention was designed to explore whether stakeholders can identify everyday offline artefacts. Are people able to decipher everyday items and spaces that have gained meaning through memes as offline artefacts? To receive the most results possible, I decided to do the intervention as a “quiz” followed by a survey to acquire additional information. To…

Chronically online person rambles about memes for 3 minutes.

An interesting observation I’ve encountered while doing research is the simple act of searching “meme” on Google. By doing so, you are met with the graveyard of memes from the years 2007 to 2014. Memes reminiscent of the days of 4chan and 9GAG. While they were relevant, it is clear that this format of meme…

It is becoming clear with further discovery that a lot the offline artefacts that I am discovering can commonly consist of clothing and accessories. While discussing my project with a friend they brought up the infamous tomato purse. The fashion house Loewe created a leather purse based on a tweet. Ultimately taking the meme and…

Have you ever seen something that exists in the context of a meme and wondered whether that item can exist within its context in the “real world”, or, for better terms, the offline world? Memes are created and exist in online spaces; the space differs according to a person’s preference, whether that’s Instagram, Twitter, Reddit,…

This t-shirt did not start as a part of my project but as a group urge among my close friends. We decided that we needed to make something that felt inherently like us. We decided to make a t-shirt but not just any t-shirt, a t-shirt layered with references, inside jokes and aesthetic codes that…

As my research and project evolved, so did my research question. I began with a broader question of: “How can memes as a form of contemporary digital art contribute to cultural experiences and relationships?” However, through the intervention and further research, I’ve evolved it into something more specific: “How can niche meme styles and culturally…

After completing the first intervention with limited success in getting memes, I attempted the same idea in a new context: online. I turned to the Instagram account @ihate_abba, which by this point had gathered a modest but engaged following. I posted on my Instagram story asking my followers to send in a meme or image…

To begin testing my question, I wanted my first intervention to be simple and reflective of people’s relationships with memes. What better way to test the waters than by asking people to send me a meme? This was a way to inform my broader inquiry: How can memes as a form of contemporary digital art…

With the topic of my project being memes, it only made sense to create a separate space to engage with memes and freely experiment. I will use the Instagram account (@ihate_abba) as an extension of my blog, a kind of playground to play around with ideas, test interventions, communicate with people and ultimately document the…

“Saint Hoax, defines a meme as a piece of media that is repurposed to deliver a cultural, social or political expression, mainly through humor. “It has the ability to capture insight in a way that is in complete alignment with the zeitgeist.” (Benveniste, A. 2022) Memes behave as cultural artefacts that carry messages and serve…

The current iteration of my research question is “How does character-building in video games challenge default identities and disrupt norm chronology, fostering alternative self-concepts?“ Default Identity: One’s self is shaped by societal, cultural and familial expectations and often adopted without personal exploration or a deviation from norms. Norm Chronology: The societal timeline where the life…

On October 9, we conducted an activity using Legos to “build” our research question. My research question was unclear and a work in progress. This was perfect for the exercise as it allowed me to step outside structural constraints and freely experiment with my thought process and intentions for my project. My research question as…

“The thing I always say about marginalized people is that we are not actually marginal. Social codes, laws, norms and other pathologies beat up on us and take us out of the center. But even as systems get scared and throw us to the margins, we use imagination as the best revenge.” (Moore, M. 2018,…