Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Reading Religious Memes in an Internet Public

In week 6 you are asked to consider the circulation of meaning within religious memes in relation to various Internet publics. Memes can be read in different ways by different audience online as they become what Jenkins describes as “spreadable media”. By exploring online discourse and meme creator intentionality we can consider how framings and messages about religion can change, even when the memes themselves do not.  This week’s analysis will involve looking for public responses to a selection of at least 3 specific memes you are studying. This can be either in the form of the analysis of comments posted in a forum regarding audience response to the memes or conducting an interview with the creator/s of the memes to see their intention and hear back the reactions they have received regarding their creations. Please reflect on the following questions:


-What role to audience and/or creators plays in shaping the meaning of memes, and how much influence do they have in informing the messages about religion transferred online?

-In what ways may religious memes communicate multiple or conflicting messages as they are read by different audiences?

-In what ways are religious internet memes effective and/or problematic forms of communication about religion?

 

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