All of our grounded research recognized five head categories of meme quiddities one to joined circumstances with the exact same family relations: Target, specific reputation, generic reputation, action, and keywords. After the difference between tangible graphic quiddities and you will conceptual textual of them (Lewis, 2012 ; Spitzberg, 2014 ), i built a measurement to own quiddity concreteness. The initial two classes-objects (including Mentos in “Eating plan Mentos”) and you will certain emails (such as for example Bert during the “Bert try Evil”)-try very obvious and real. Generic letters (for instance the individuals kitties inside the “LOLcats”) and you may steps (including the dancing actions within the “New Progression out of Dancing”) will still be visible, however their symptom you can expect to go from you to eg to some other. Eventually, in lieu of apparent items, phrases will be minimum tangible or the most abstract of all groups. Following this office, we measured the newest part of hours from inside the for each family relations one to contained keeps regarding each one of the categories. For every meme such as in the children had to consist of no less than one kind of quiddity. The quiddity concreteness level try obtained per meme friends situated toward weighted millions of the 5-quiddity communities: target and certain profile (1), simple profile and you will methods (0), and you will terms (?1).
Quiddity models
From inside the RQ1 i asked exactly what are the prevalent sort of quiddities one bind meme families together with her. Our very own studies indicated that action is considered the most frequently used quiddity regarding test (42.2% regarding meme instances), with words (38.5%). Particular reputation (29%) and you will object (23%) was less common, that have universal profile (fifteen.7%) trailing about. It’s important to note that the results demonstrate that the fresh new head quiddity are largely distinct from the brand new general services lookin within the new codebook for almost all meme families. Indeed, within the 90% of your own meme family members, the new quiddity try particular for example was not included in the simple attributes. Including, regarding the “Celebrity Wars Kid” household members, brand new work away from fighting having laser swords was a highly specific quiddity, and thus could not feel grabbed of the general features of the brand new codebook.
Inside RQ2 we expected and this templates, versions, and you will contribution formations is actually commonplace (and limited) in contemporary web sites memes. We learned that popular society (26.5%), dinner (19.1%) and the fresh new mass media (16.3%) was in fact the most famous information; nationality (dos.6%), latest occurrences (step 3.2%), and you can work and you will a position (step three.3%) was indeed minimum of prominent subject areas. With regards to intercourse, men professionals (59.4%) were depicted twice as often because females professionals (twenty seven.3%). Toddlers and you may teenagers (38.7%) looked really, while older people was indeed minimum of portrayed (5.6%) in terms of generation. Caucasian participants (44.5%) were the most represented cultural group, whenever you are Latina otherwise Latino users minimum of (0.2%). In the end, regarding mode, extremely days was images (56%) otherwise videos (42.6%) unlike absolute textual memes (1%). Generally speaking, these results validate a few of the findings built in the latest qualitative training discussed more than, where in actuality the memetic areas was also known as reigned over by young, white guys. Regarding layouts, media-based playfulness seemingly have come a great deal more extreme than simply wedding with politics. Very based on detailed statistics about, politics is pretty limited in the memetic sphere. Yet, given that unfolded less than, system studies will inform all of us a far more complex story.
The fresh new cohesiveness out-of simple properties into the meme household
Given that detail by detail above, among seeks from the studies were to see new the total amount from cohesiveness from meme group with respect to the generic functions (RQ3). Profile dos shows the newest network out-of memes sharing comparable articles characteristics. Which will make new graphic research crisper, we let you know right here simply five meme family one share two otherwise far more qualities. The dimensions of the newest node signifies its community degree, this means that, the other meme era they offers stuff qualities having. Such, the initial meme away from “Log off Britney By yourself” is the prominent node, sharing no less than a few posts functions having 56 (from 83) almost every other meme times. “Graffiti” and you will “Birmingham” is actually both instances of this new “Pepper Squirt Cop” meme members of the family. These are the smallest nodes regarding community, sharing several blogs qualities having a few almost every other meme occasions. New width of your link stands for the number of common services. Eg, the fresh new links between cases of the latest “Hop out Britney Alone” are particularly dense, which means that he is nearly the same as each other with regards https://datingranking.net/dating-apps/ to regarding posts. The original meme and its particular period display as much as 9 (of 16) blogs services along.