Internet Memes in the Light of the Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction - Essay Example

?Research proposal Internet memes in the light of “The work of Art in the age of Mechanical Reproduction” by Walter Benjamin Introduction Internet memes are a unique phenomenon, having evolved during recent times and widespread on all the networks throughout the world. Internet memes have some very unique characteristics which make them different from other art forms. In terms of propagation, the speed of spread of internet memes across various networks exceeds the speed of many other media through which ideas are propagated. This research paper is aimed at highlighting the importance of this prominent means of communicating ideas while relating it to the concepts of arts developed by Walter Bejamin in his article "The work of Art in the age of the Mechanical Reproduction". Discussion Immediately following the development of the concept of internet memes, the idea was taken by many in the field and a number of websites appeared which served the purpose of providing newly developed memes with expressions which could be molded according to one's needs. This was not limited to internet sites only; a number of books, e-books and social media sites also serve the purpose. Literature review Although abundant information is available regarding the various aspects of memes, only those resources will be selected which resonate with the ideas brought forward by Walter Benjamin in the selected article. To prevent bias from disrupting the authenticity of the document, equal importance will be given to resources with supporting or confronting views. Dawkin's (1976) work 'The selfish gene' will be used to get an idea about the origin of the concept of memes. The work of Shifman (2009) will be used to get an idea about the current trends about internet memes. Strohecker's (2012) work about authenticity of art works will be referred to for explaining in detail the nature of authenticity of art works. To get opposing views about Walter Benjamin's work, Knizek's (1993) work can provide sound opinions. These and a number of other resources will be used to support the hypothesis developed for the research paper. Genres of memes A number of stylistic features and structures are shared by a genre of memes. The intended audience, topics and also the themes are part of this sharing. Burgress (2007) has described memes to be 'vernacular creativity'; she considers that memes are the result of daily artistic and innovative thoughts of people that take the form of an idea and are produced by simple means. Milner (2012) talks about memes and claims that with the passage of time and with improvement in technology, websites related to the development of memes are getting user friendly. Therefore, the range of topics and ideas covered by developers of memes are according to their age and interests; this implies that the themes of memes fall under literally thousands of categories. It is for this reason that a standard classification of memes according to genres is not feasible as yet. However, a general classification of memes can include categories like Reaction photoshops, Lipsynch, Misheard Lyrics and Recut Trailers etc (Shifman, 2014). It should however be understood that the basis of classification of memes can be different and various systems of classification of memes can be adapted depending upon the type of requirements under a given set of conditions. Aims of the project The aim of this project is to weigh the concept of memes against a standard; an article by a well known literary critic from Germany. Being the developer of the notion 'auratic perception', Walter in his work "The work of Art in the age of the Mechanical Reproduction" has discussed art in the light of the then prevailing circumstances in which the aspect of mechanical reproduction was very prominent. However, with the passage of time and with the development of new concepts and technologies, older methods of reproduction of art works have been replaced by a number of new methods. Although, a digital manifestation of the art works ensures rapid propagation of the ideas depicted in art works; yet there are a number of other factor which make memes different from traditional works of arts. This project will highlight the differences and similarities that exist between traditional art works and the modern art form commonly referred to as memes. Sections and their word lengths The following sections will be included in the research paper; Abstract Introduction (500 words) Body (3500 words) Summary (500 words) Conclusion (500 words) References Discussion of your methodology and the key concepts The research will aim to draw its conclusions from a wide variety of resources including internet, books, e-books and others. The research will adopt a qualitative approach to defend the thesis and prove its findings. All the resources will be weighed in the light of the article selected previously and supporting and conflicting opinions will be given equal importance to prevent bias in the results. Qualitative approach allows the researcher an opportunity to search for deeper meanings of a given text. This approach will be used to answer the research question regarding internet memes in the light of Walter's article. Conclusion will be drawn from the findings obtained as a result of analysis of art forms as viewed by Walter in his selected article. Conclusion Memes are an important invention of recent times; not only providing a means of expression of feelings and thoughts regarding the prevailing circumstances, but also serving as a contribution to the arts. Although there are a number of features of memes that distinguish this form of art from the traditional art forms; yet the acceptance of memes as an art form cannot be objected, due to the fact that it contains nearly all the constituents that make an art work. Based on their themes, memes have been classified under a number of heads by various creators of this art form; a universally accepted classification is however lacking. This research work will focus on the artistic value of memes and highlight their importance in the light of an article by Walter Benjamin. Bibliography Burgess, J. E. (2007). Vernacular creativity and new media. Dawkins R. (1976): The Selfish Gene (Oxford University Press, New York). Knizek, I. (1993). “Walter Benjamin and the Mechanical Reproducibility of Art Works Revisited.” British Journal of Aesthetics : 357-66 Milner, R. M. (2012). The World Made Meme: Discourse and Identity in Participatory Media (Doctoral dissertation, University of Kansas). Shifman, L. (2014). Memes in digital culture, p-100. Strohecker, D. P. (2012). The Crisis of Authenticity: Symbolic Violence, Memes, Identity. Retrieved from http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2012/03/23/the-crisis-of-authenticity-symbolic-violence-memes-identity/ Read More