"Memes, Affinities, and Cultural Production"

What was this chapter about/What does this tell us about teaching students?


In this chapter, Knobel and Lankshear discuss memes, which are "contagious patterns of “cultural information” that get passed from mind to mind and directly generate and shape the mindsets and significant forms of behavior and actions of a social group" (p. 199). For instance, a meme could be a popular song, a fashion styles, etc. Memes are often catchy propaganda. There are three types of means; fidelity, fecundity, and longevity. Fidelity is the quality of the meme, fecundity refers to the rate at which the meme is copied, and longevity is the key ingredient. The longer a meme is copied and passed down, the "better" its innovation. The researchers looked at online meme pools for a study and found that there are no particularly different characteristics from online memes to normal memes. They found that humor was a key component in the memes and also cross-references to pop-culture. Memes are also successful because they rely on the human mind. They state, "A “big L” conception of new Literacies recognizes that everyday life is often amplified through the participation of and interaction with people one may never meet and, moreover, that in online spaces this interaction and participation may occur in ways never before possible." As teacher, it is crucial that we help students understand why memes are occurring and why they are popular. Students need to learn to evaluate and analyze their culture around them. 





Does this chapter apply to all content areas?


Yes! All students should learn to evaluate their culture around them!