Entry 6 : Not Everyone Can Be A Memester

Topic : Malaysians are so uncreative that they cannot even make ‘dank’ memes. Argue for or against the statement.

In last entry I've posted "Entry 5 : Meme Carefully (Assumptions)", I've assume that Malaysian couldn't produce "dank" meme for some reasons. Here's some reasons :-

Dank memes may harm social status among communities and society of Malaysia
Malaysian consist of multi-racial society. Therefore, racial issues will be quite sensitive. My theory shows that Malaysian themselves are limiting from creating memes that relates to racial issues. The majority of "dank" memes are mostly comes from western countries.

Improper memes may harm social standings of Malaysia
Heard of the mysterious missing airplane from Malaysia, MH 370? There are plenty of memes about it but it died off very early. My theory tells that majority of the society around the world takes this case as serious and no-laughing matter. Malaysia Airlines losses worsen after the planes disappearance. Causing major discouragement of customers to travel via airplanes in Malaysia.

A meme of MH 370

A video showing Malaysia protest

Most of the comments show disagreement with the act by the protestors

This is not even meme and even this short video causing huge hate among the society. This causing the major social destruction among races and communities. Now try imagine a meme that's this offensive. This might be the result but worsen.

Summary

In conclusion, Malaysian aren't "so uncreative that they can't create dank memes" but due to the fact that they have limitations producing "dank" memes. It's intentionally to avoid further issues among the society. It's not just happen only in Malaysia, other country do tend to have the same of issues as well.

AND

Memes posted in the net is like "throwing salt into the sea" kind of metaphor. Internet is a BIG network so it's hardly to be noticed by. Therefore, any Malaysian who posted either quality memes or not, it'll not be noticed and if so, the creator of the meme will not be known.

Bibliography :-

BBC (2014) Malaysia airlines losses worsen on MH370 disappearance. Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-27435455 (Accessed: 16 December 2016).

Hxsm (2016) Hxsm - ‘we are very peaceful’. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/hxsmlah/videos/828904403918627/ (Accessed: 16 December 2016).

Literally Media Ltd (2015) Malaysian airlines flight 370. Available at: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/malaysian-airlines-flight-370 (Accessed: 16 December 2016).

Pitlane Magazine (2016) Pitlane magazine. Available at: http://www.pitlanemagazine.com/cultures/cultural-sensitivity-a-malaysian-view.html (Accessed: 16 December 2016).

shirleymaya (2013) Are WE becoming overtly sensitive? | the art of fearless living. Available at: http://shirleymaya.com/2013/08/26/are-we-becoming-overtly-sensitive/#gs.nEqREuc (Accessed: 16 December 2016).

Soong, K.K. (2015) Time to end racial discrimination in Malaysia. Available at: http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/292624 (Accessed: 16 December 2016).

Entry 5 : Meme Carefully (Assumptions)

Topic : Malaysians are so uncreative that they cannot even make ‘dank’ memes. Argue for or against the statement.

While producing a "dank meme" or meme, what are the consideration before publishing it out?
My assumptions are :-
- Avoid jokes or humor that may be offensive to some people such as :-
    -Racism
    -Political issues
    -etc

- Some may get the joke and some don't such as "inside jokes" or reference-based jokes

- It have to be something that worth humor for. Which is like a catchy song.

All this assumptions, the most vital is the "sensitive issue".

My assumption show that it might be the limitation of making a "dank" meme. The last entry which I go through some of the "dank" memes, it seems to have some joke that are quite offensive to some individuals but it is what makes it "dank". Due to it's hurtful humor, somehow audiences seems to be interested in stereotyping one culture. Example stereotypes are :-

  - Americans have no gun control which causes "happy trigger" among citizens, which means                 shooting without a good reason
  - Malaysian lost airplane, MH370
  - and etc

Entry 4 : Memes aren't Dank Memes

Topic : Malaysians are so uncreative that they cannot even make ‘dank’ memes. Argue for 
             or against the statement.

What makes dank memes DANK?
After looking through some DANK memes, it seems to be somewhat inappropriate or should I say "offensive". Memes and DANK memes are two separate things. Most memes seems to be more friendly and humorous. At the other hand, dank memes is an ironic expression used to mock online viral media and in-jokes that have exhausted their comedic value to the point of being trite or cliché. In this context, the word “dank,” originally coined as a term for high quality marijuana, is satirically used as a synonym for “cool.”

Example of Meme

Exanple of Dank Meme

Example of Dank Memes Vine

[audio may be inappropriately loud]

Have you heard about the meme of a television programme called "Lazy Town"? It had been known by many audiences due to its "meme-fied" version.

We are Number One Music Video

Original

Dank Edition

". . .but it's . . ."

"Meme-fied" versions

Live and Interview

Meme is mention at [1:15]

As it mention in the interview, meme of the music video have been getting bigger and BIGGER. It stated that it's not only about well-done content but it's about the "crazyness", humor, and creativity.

Bibliography :-

Dank memes. But why? (2016). Available at: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/301556/dank-memes-but-why (Accessed: 14 December 2016)

Hamilton, J. (2016) For the teacher: All-too-real memes in honor of teacher appreciation week. Available at: http://www.chron.com/news/education/article/Memes-that-are-all-too-real-for-teachers-in-honor-7387643.php (Accessed: 13 December 2016).

Milner, R.M. (2016) The world made meme: Public conversations and participatory media. Available at: https://books.google.com.my/books?hl=en&lr=&id=SPwlDQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=dank+memes&ots=GrPXfNXxB3&sig=ovczbRKoyHJYWQjP0sENa-v71z4&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=dank%20memes&f=false (Accessed: 13 December 2016).

The Chive (2016) ‘Dank memes for the weekend (32 photos)’, 26 February. Available at: http://thechive.com/2016/02/26/dank-memes-for-the-weekend-32-photos/ (Accessed: 13 December 2016).

Entry 3: What makes memes "meme"

Topic : Malaysians are so uncreative that they cannot even make ‘dank’ memes. Argue for 
             or against the statement.

First of all:
How does memes turned out to be popular?
According to Elise Moreau, internet memes grow stronger ever since social media has grown to become mainstream phenomenon.

How does it become a "meme"?
When one of these things is broad enough to be considered extremely relatable between most people and has a humorous effect to it (like sarcasm or exaggeration), it often gets shared all over the Internet. Mass sharing gives it its internet meme status, stated by Elise Moreau.

What's other term for "meme"?
"Something that goes insanely viral" -Elise Moreau.

Where to find such "meme" and "dank meme"?
-4chan
-Reddit
-Tumblr

Therefore, anyone can make memes but never knew whose the creator who created the memes. Secondly, many of the meme consist of a culture that can be distinguish by many. 

SpongeGar from the episode SB-129 in Spongebob Squarepants 

Let's take an example of a Malaysian meme:

As malaysian, we probably find this humorous .But to those non-malaysians, they wouldn't know what it it.

Unless this,

In conclusion, everyone can make memes but we can't distinguish whether it's from a Malaysian and people only fond to the memes they understand.

How Dank Meme is Made:

loud audio at the end[2:10]

*please take this as a joke*

from [ https://youtu.be/qFsJbbFCcU4 ]

Bibliography: 

Klee, M. (2016) It’s the 3rd anniversary of the day memes became ‘dank’. Available at: http://www.dailydot.com/unclick/regular-memes-vs-dank-memes/ (Accessed: 5 December 2016).

Ltd, L.M. (2016) SpongeGar / primitive sponge / Caveman Spongebob. Available at: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/spongegar-primitive-sponge-caveman-spongebob (Accessed: 5 December 2016).

Ltd, L.M. (2007) What kinds of entries should I submit? | general discussion. Available at: http://knowyourmeme.com/forums/general/topics/5784-how-are-memes-confirmed (Accessed: 5 December 2016).

Mental Floss (no date) What is the origin of the word ‘meme’? Available at: http://mentalfloss.com/article/61843/what-origin-word-meme (Accessed: 5 December 2016).

Moreau, E. (no date) What Are Internet Memes and Where Did They Come From? Available at: https://www.lifewire.com/what-are-internet-memes-3486448 (Accessed: 5 December 2016).

Entry 2: Here comes "Dat Boi"!

Picture above is an example of meme, or it can be said as "dank" meme. This meme, "Dat Boi", show a 3D frog riding on a unicycle with a caption said "here come dat boi!!!!!! o shit waddup!" which is utterly nonsense. This utterly nonsense somehow turn into an internet hit even thought it's meaningless. But how is it got this far?

It all happened in July 2014, FunnyJunk, a content aggregator website, posted a photoshopped image of a young boy named "Dat Boi" as the "most wanted criminal arrested" as "dat boi" (Know Your Meme, 2016).

While in June 2015, phalania, a Tumblr user, submitted a post with a message "here come dat boi!!", followed up by a picture of Pac-Man with caption "o shit waddup" which shown the picture way above (Know Your Meme, 2016).

Finally on April 2016,  "Fresh Memes About the Mojave Desert and Other Delectable Cuisines", a Facebook group, posted an image of the frog riding a unicycle with the caption of "here come dat boi!!!!! o shit whaddup" (Know Your Meme, 2016).

From there onwards, this "dat boi" meme spreads like haywire. Users kept manipulating this meme into many kind of style. 

Bibliography: 

Know Your Meme, 2016. Dat Boi. Available at: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/dat-boi [Accessed November 27, 2016]

The Daily Dot, 2016. Say 'waddup' to dat boi, the unicycling frog meme. Available at: http://www.dailydot.com/unclick/dat-boi-frog-unicycle-meme/ [Accessed November 27, 2016]

Entry 1: Picking a topic

This semester, we're given six topics to choose from based on Internet Cultures. Here's the list of it:-

1. Investigate a major controversy that unfolded online. Discuss its relevance to creative                 professionals.

      I've seen many controversy happening in internets but mostly are not considered major. But I've happened to stumble across a major controversy online. It's about parents are arguing about the pros and cons of baby seats (Willets, 2016).

2. Cyberspace is vital for protecting and spreading democracy. Explore this idea and question          its effectiveness.

The first thing that pops up in my mind is United State presidential election 2016. I remember how   Donald Trumps and Hillary Clinton's speeches can be widely seen throughout the internet which from Facebook, Twitter and even Youtube.

3. How did mobile devices change the way people use the internet? Consider its consumer               impact and relate them to a specific creative industry/ profession.

 Mobile device is a one big leap to technology advancement. Due to the device's mobility, most consumers have there hands on the device to go on anything they would with a computer.

4. Compare and contrast how two different communities or social groups use a specific social         media platform. Which of the two groups has more to gain from it and why?

I'm not quite understand this topic really well. I think the two different communities are Facebook user and Twitter user. I'm not sure what difference of gaining by using different social network platform

5. Malaysians are so uncreative that they cannot even make ‘dank’ memes. Argue for or against     the statement.

Meme is a term of "a cultural item in the form of an image, video, phrase, etc., that is spread via the Internet and often altered in a creative or humorous way"(Dictionary, 1976). But the term "dank" is the definition of cold, musty, damp and humid. Therefore, "dank" memes are about "ironic expression used to describe online viral media and in-jokes that are intentionally bizarre or have exhausted their comedic value to the point of being trite or cliché. In this context, the word “dank,” originally coined as a term for high quality marijuana, is satirically used as a synonym for “cool.”(Ltd, 2016)

6. Identify a figure who is generally known to have played a major role on the internet.                   Evaluate if his/her contributions are justified or mythologized.

What come in my mind is, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO/ Co-founder of Facebook. He had contributed       the community with a social network called Facebook. (Mark Zuckerberg Biography, no date)


After going through the topics, I think I would go for no.5 or no.6 as they are quite interesting topics for me. I'll confirm which topic to go for in the next entry.

Bibliography:

Dictionary (1976) ‘The definition of meme’, in Available at: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/meme (Accessed: 21 November 2016).
Hern, A. (2016) Smartphone now most popular way to browse internet – Ofcom report. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/aug/06/smartphones-most-popular-way-to-browse-internet-ofcom (Accessed: 21 November 2016).
Ltd, L.M. (2016) Dank Memes. Available at: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/dank-memes (Accessed: 21 November 2016).
Willets, M. (2016) Baby seat video creates major controversy online. Available at: http://www.parenting.com/news-break/baby-seat-video-creates-major-controversy-online (Accessed: 21 November 2016).
Mark Zuckerberg Biography (no date) Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/mark-zuckerberg-507402#synopsis (Accessed: 21 November 2016).