Summary Response 1: "In defense of “slacktivism”: The Human Rights Campaign Facebook logo as digital activism"

LINK TO ARTICLE: http://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/4961/3868#author

Judith Ramirez

VIE, Stephanie. In defense of “slacktivism”: The Human Rights Campaign Facebook logo as digital activism. First Monday, [S.l.], mar. 2014. ISSN 13960466. Available at: <http://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/4961/3868>. Date accessed: 18 july 2018. doi:https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v19i4.4961.

SUMMARY:

In this article Vie comes to the defense of those that engage in online activism. She does this by using the 2013 Proposition 8 which was a bill that would prohibit same-sex marriage among couples in California. During that time a meme was created for those that align themselves with marriage equality a play off of the Human Rights Campaign's blue and yellow equal symbol, the new one was red and pinkish. Vie makes a case for those that used the image of the equality sign as a vehicle to share their beliefs. She also acknowledges those that simply used Kairos to gain benefits and to simply follow the crowd.  This article suggests that even small moves of support, such as changing one’s Facebook status to a memetic image, assist by demonstrating a supportive environment for those who identify with marginalized groups and by drawing awareness to important causes. Often dismissed as “slacktivism,” Vie argues that, instead  digital activism is made possible through social media memes and can build awareness of crucial issues, which can then lead to action. Vie also involves the aspect of digital identity with the use of the memtetic image as a means to purposefully identify with those who also share the same beliefs. With this kairotic moment, many corporations and celebrities were able to gain benefits whether monetary or praise as a result of reproducing and remixing the image. 

RESPONSE:

I liked the way the author interweaves the two concepts I was already thinking of going into for my sub area of interest. Though the article is from 2013 I do believe there is still a lot of relevance for current issues that surround the population now. There have been many filters used as a means to identify with groups and sub groups of people on social media. Some filters group people together and many times divide as well. This is something Vie briefly touches on and could have decided to go into depth if she wanted to. Though she briefly touched on the push back of using meme's and filters as a unifying entity, she speaks more on the positive aspects. I do think that she ahs set up a sort of approach to this area of identity by talking about the ways in which people choose to include themselves in areas of concern or political matters. Vie points out how many people are simply in tuned with Kairos and use whatever is current and of concern to follow the crowd and not really do anything that has immediate affect. The way Vie approaches this article she is using the Toulim method of writing. Toulim method in short, weighs in on arguments that are both for and against the argument. This approach shows that she is aware of the counter arguments of what she is writing and sort of, for me, creates more ethos on her part. This article hits on some key points and uses examples that cause the readers to reflect on the authenticity of those who use filters and memes to show support of a cause.

QUOTATIONS:

"In his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins first introduced the term “meme”; using the Darwinian model of natural selection, Dawkins (2006) argued that memes were a new form of replicators, things like songs, processes, catch phrases, and so on that propagate “in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain via a process which, in the broad sense, can be called imitation” [4]. Much like genes, memes could replicate, undergo natural selection, and evolve. Memes, also like genes, had an element of selfishness in their replication, spreading indiscriminately without considering their usefulness or potential harm to their hosts (Blackmore, 1999)."

"Memes operate within cultures and are responses to the desires, interests, and needs of the specific host culture within which they emerge and spread. Successful memes are attuned to the social and cultural specifics of their audience; they play on familiar visual or textual concepts or rely on culturally relevant songs, jokes, or sayings."

"Memes that rely on familiar elements (popular songs, cartoon characters, literary tropes, and so on) succeed because these familiar elements allow for both individual interest as well as group identification. Group identification is a necessary aspect of the spread of memes, particularly through variance; as Milner (2012) noted, “transformation [of memes] requires an understanding of representational conventions associated with specific groups or individuals” [7]"

"The ease of replicating the HRC logo meme on Facebook showcases a critical aspect of replicated memes with regard to the intersection of group identification and kairos. That is, many individuals who changed their Facebook profile picture to the red logo did so because of the kairotic timing. As well, using this image as a profile picture could indicate to viewers the user’s support of gay marriage, allowing likeminded individuals to visually assess those on their side"