Memes: Harmful & Helpful
We’ve been exposing more deeply some effects of our internet and social media communications network beginning with effects on our physical health–our bodies. In order to match this research and observation with your own experience with social media, we’re going to consider the specifics memes that each of you have personally interacted with–receiving, sending, sharing etc.
This week’s assignment is to experiment with both destructive and constructive versions of social media graphics–or memes. Your task is to use Adobe Express or Illustrator (Instagram post–single square png image) to do the following:
- Find (or create from memory or invention) a destructive social media or internet meme that had some significant effect on your or someone you know. Show the graphic, explain its meaning, and its effect. This should be 2-4 paragraphs. It need not be formal but should be clear and thoughtful writing.
- Create an alternative meme that attempts to heal the wound or harm that was created with the first meme. Do you think this meme will have the same viral quality? explain?
What would we have to do about the digital ecosystem, or about our cultural values and norms in order for good news or uplifting content to travel faster and more than bad news? Is there a way communication organizations could be designed or regulated to balance the bad/good news?
You might consider yesmagazine.org, which was created specifically to tel the good news instead of the bad news and so rectify the inaccurate view of the world given by common (even high quality) news sources. If you know of other sources of good news, add them to your post.
Any images added to WordPress–class website OR your personal portfolio, should be Optimized for the web, so they dont slow down web page loading, or clog the server.
Post title: Task 2-your name
Category: Task 2
Featured image: An image that suggests the topic of your meme
Added images in post: your 2 memes. Negative & positive alternative.
Text: Answers to questions 1 & 2 above
