Claire Yang's COM8005

Research question:  what messages and assumptions do Internet Memes communicate about the power relationship between man and woman, specifically when featuring reactions to celebrities’ controversial events, such as the sexual assault by famous Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein? feedback: Do you agree with my finding? what other aspects of finding can I explore? How can I describe my memes better?

Drakett, Rickett, Day, and Milne’s (2018) explores 240 English language image macro memes from three websites and found that online sexism targeting women in the world of technology, space where feminism is more absent than present.They analysis of popular Internet memes has demonstrated the complex nature of a novel form of online humor, with regard to the construction and regulation of gendered identities at the intersection of new technologies. Feminist research has found that instances of online sexism and harassment are often reframed as ‘acceptable’ by constructing them as a form of humor. They claim that: "whilst the image macros analyzed reproduce many well-worn discourses concerning gender, they mobilize these discourses in a new medium in order for heteronormative, masculinized identities to claim rightful ownership of this medium and the spaces in which it presents itself"(p.38)Focusing on a meme, the researchers identify themes of technological privilege where the...

Shifman (2014) explains the importance of sharing as a “central cultural logic” that is fundamental to the understanding of memes. She discusses the convergence of sharing as both a method of distribution and a method of communication. Individuals distribute cultural items—memes—and in doing so, they communicate their personal values and beliefs. With this notion of sharing in mind, we can further considerShifman’s argument in terms of dissemination. Shifman (2014) summarizes the common features of memes content, one of which focuses on the image characteristics of  Masculinity   Among the memes I chose, there are many images that compare Harvey Weinstein's image to ugly monsters, highlighting the fact that he uses his rights to abuse women. "They embody a certain rebellion against hegemonic masculinity, yet at the same time reinforce traditional norms through the comic framing of their protagonists." (Shifman, 2014, p.77) These memes are used to challenge our irony of ...

Here is my final research question: How Internet Memes description man as abuser and woman as victim, and what messages and assumptions do Internet Memes communicate about the power relationship between male and female, specifically when featuring reactions to celebrates controversial events such as the sexual assault of famous Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein?   Here are the 10 images I will use for my analysis. https://imgflip.com/i/1xfbhc https://me.me/i/8-best-moral-compass-hollywood-has-the-harvey-weinstein-says-18991089 https://imgflip.com/i/1xmgbc https://pics.me.me/harvey-weinstein-askedifihad-any-hot-friends-imgflip-com-lena-dunham-meets-28413675.png https://crayfisher.wordpress.com/2017/10/06/they-all-knew/ http://www.picsngiggles.com/2017/10/harvey-weinstein-funny-memes/   https://me.me/i/19008221 https://i.ytimg.com/vi/P1mkCRAFO2w/maxresdefault.jpg https://imgflip.com/i/2c4kmq ...

This week I will continue to study the memes of Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault. I will expand and modify my problem, I hope it can be more clear. First, I have reflected on my research question. My question is: "How feminists use memes to shape feminism on the internet, especially in controversial events, such as the sexual assault of famous Hollywood Harvey Weinstein?" But I think before I study feminism, I should first make a preliminary analysis of the meaning expressed by memes. I should understand what these memes express about gender, and then go on to further analyze how it expresses feminism. So, my question is “ What messages and assumptions do Internet Memes communicate about gender? And h ow feminists use memes to shape feminism on the internet, especially in controversial events, such as the sexual assault of famous Hollywood Harvey Weinstein?" Second, define and contextualize. I need to define the spread of memes on the web and its impact before ...