Mimesis and Memes

In recent years, we have witnessed a widespread proliferation of short videos and images with text. Is a meme merely a short video or an image with text that goes viral among us because it is funny or because it resonates with our daily state of mind? What is the relationship between memes and mimesis? Is it a new phenomenon associated with the internet generation, or a phenomenon that has existed for hundreds of years? Do memes have specific characteristics that help them spread so quickly? In this post, we will discuss what the well-known Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle thought about imitation. Additionally, we will explore the secret behind the spread of digital memes as defined by Limor Shifman, a Ph.D. candidate and member of the Department of Communication and Journalism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

To begin with, Greek philosophers had different views on mimesis. In an online lecture at the University of Gothenburg, Professor Lisa Åkervall, who is an associate professor of film studies at the Department of Cultural Studies, explained that mimesis is a loanword from the Greek word “Mimema,” which means “imitated” (Åkervall, n.d.). In the book “Republic,” Plato authored a Socratic dialogue where Socrates, Plato’s mentor and teacher, discusses poetry and imitation with Glaucon, Plato’s older brother (Reeve, 2004). Socrates clarifies the meaning of imitation through an example, assuming that a god created a single couch for some reason. Then, a carpenter created a copy of that couch, distancing it once from reality. Afterwards, an artist painted the couch using the carpenter’s creation, making the painted couch a copy of the first copy. Socrates argues that imitation is entirely different from the truth, as it contains a part of the thing but lacks essence; in other words, it is an illusion (Reeve, 2004, pp. 298-301).

Socrates further illustrates his point about imitation being an illusion with another example. He describes a bridle, which involves three clear crafts: teaching someone how to use it, teaching how to make it, and how to imitate it. Socrates continues to discuss that the user of the bridle has “scientific” knowledge of it and can teach the manufacturer how to make it correctly. Conversely, when imitating things, one lacks knowledge and good understanding of the subject, possessing only a weak illusion of what they imitate. This does not belong to the mental element, which is the noblest part of nature according to Socrates (Reeve, 2004, pp. 304-305).

Another explanation of mimesis is Aristotle’s interpretation. Aristotle asserts that all forms of art are imitations of nature, with each artist using their language and tools to express their creativity. Aristotle argues that the emergence of poetry came from imitation, as people enjoy imitating one another, much like children imitating their parents or how older people are clear examples of human nature’s love for imitation. He specifies that various forms of poetry, such as epic poetry, tragedy, and comedy, are all forms of representation. The difference between these forms can be defined in three ways: the medium, the object, or the mode of their representation (Kenny, 2013, pp. 17-18).

Aristotle explains that differences in medium mean that people represent objects using colors and shapes to create visible images of them. Differences in objects mean that what artists represent are human actions, which can be superior or inferior. The third type of difference is in the mode of representation, within the same medium, where it is possible to represent the same object either through storytelling or dramatisation. A story can be carried by a single narrator, whereas in dramatisation, all individuals play their roles as active agents (Kenny, 2013, pp. 17-19).

In the previous part of this post, mimesis was defined from two different perspectives—that of a teacher and his student. In the upcoming part, the concept of memes will be mapped, characterized, and explained to show how mimesis and memes are connected.

It should be clarified that memes existed before the internet. What we consider a meme is officially called an internet meme, but a meme is not always an internet meme. Songs, slogans, and clichés are also memes. Here are some terminologies related to internet memes: for a video to function as a meme, it must be a remix; a photo must combine with text to become a caption. Lastly, a word or phrase must transform into a slogan to become a meme (Åkervall, 2020). Later in this text, a very famous slogan will be used as an example of a meme.

In her article “Anatomy of YouTube,” Shifman (2012) describes digital memes in general and focuses on YouTube memes and participatory culture. According to Shifman, memes consist of more innovative media, such as those derived from popular culture and social construction, featuring simple humour via short clips of about 2 minutes. Shifman’s research project focused on political humour, internet memes, and the global spread of jokes, examining how memes spread as viral clips on YouTube due to their recognizable factor, created through their simplicity. For example, through popular culture, where people share and appreciate these clips for their humour and sociocultural contexts (Shifman, 2012, pp. 1-2).

According to Shifman (2012), memes require certain criteria and are not the same as a viral video. A viral video is seen by the masses without significant change, whereas a meme is a video that attracts extensive creative user engagement through satire. In other words, a viral video is one that many people share just for fun, making it viral; whereas a meme consists of many different versions of the same image with altered text or vice versa (Shifman, 2012, pp. 3-4).

In research aimed at determining which memes were popular and how they were created, six characteristics of the most spread memes were identified (Shifman, 2012, pp. 6, 8-12):

  1. Ordinary People: YouTube’s most well-known feature. It allows anyone to record anything and post it on the platform. This makes the content more relatable as it is created by ordinary people rather than celebrities.
  2. Humour: Videos are initially categorised under quirky and situational humor, with biting social commentary, but then shift to playful incongruity and superiority.
  3. Simplicity: A simple concept video is easier to replicate for entertainment, making it more likely to become a meme.
  4. Repetitiveness Complements Simplicity: Simplicity allows easy imitation in both ordinary and celebrity videos.
  5. Flawed Masculinity: Research showed that 24 out of 30 sample videos featured male leads who did not conform to societal standards of masculinity.
  6. Whimsical Content: Videos often featured expected topics such as gender, politics, workplace, race, etc.

As mentioned earlier, mimesis means imitation, which relates to memes. When creating memetic videos, mimesis is used. This means imitating a meme with the intent to perform a personal interpretation of it while retaining the original concept. This can occur in various ways, such as remixes, mash-ups, and parodies. By using mimesis, memes grow as their impression increases when they are constantly imitated and reproduced, offering more exposure to the original meme, benefiting both parties.

“All Your Base Are Belong to Us” is an English slogan that became popular in the late 90s. This slogan comes from a Japanese video game developed by Toaplan studio in Japan. The game, Zero Wing, was released worldwide in 1989. It is a side-scrolling arcade game where players control the spaceship ZIG and take on the role of the protagonist Trent in a final attempt to overthrow the alien cyborg CATS. The slogan was taken from the game’s introductory sequence, where the main antagonist, CATS’ leader, seems to announce “All your base are belong to us” during an exchange with the ship’s captain. The game became known for grammatical errors in the language, with this slogan being one of the introductory dialogues in the game. The original Japanese translation meant “all of your bases are now under our control,” but it was translated to “All Your Base Are Belong to Us.” The phrase and dialogue scene went viral through popular discussion forums in 2000. Numerous materials, such as image macros, memes, and flash animations, were created with the slogan; it spread not only digitally but also in real life. In February 2004, students from North Carolina State University hacked into the local news broadcast system, replacing reports of weather-related closures with the phrase “All your bases belong to us” (Know Your Meme, 2021). On June 1, 2006, YouTube engineers replaced the website’s message with “ALL YOUR VIDEO ARE BELONG TO US” while preparing to launch new site features (CNET, 2006). This created fear among users who assumed YouTube was hacked, prompting a programmer to deny it and write a humorous explanation. Additionally, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, used the same meme in a post titled “All our Patents Are Belong to You” to inform that they would not initiate patent processes (Know Your Meme, n.d.).

If one searches for this slogan today, they will find that creators still reuse it. Applying Shifman’s “Common Features” to this meme, it is primarily characterised by Simplicity. It is easy to use and modify. Users only need to choose a recognizable or funny situation and then change a word that fits the rest of the sentence, as Musk or YouTube programmers did. Humour is also a central component of this meme, using everyday or humorous situations with irony and humour, making it enjoyable for users to see and imitate.

In summary, imitation is part of representation. Aristotle and Plato view imitation from two very different perspectives, with Socrates considering imitation an illusion, while Aristotle argues that everything is modelled after natural things around us. Recently, there has been a widespread presence of internet memes, facilitated by platforms like YouTube, which ease the spread of memes among creators and internet users. One factor behind the spread of memes is their emotional resonance with viewers. Another factor that encourages interaction and recreation of memes is the ample room for creativity, as people are social beings and see things from different perspectives. Memes provide the opportunity to express oneself humorously. In short, through digital memes, each participant expresses part of their story or emotion, whether funny or sad, making memes a significant part of contemporary culture.



Sources:

CNET. (2006). YouTube Engineers Replace Site Message with “ALL YOUR VIDEO ARE BELONG TO US”. Retrieved from [CNET]https://www.cnet.com

Kenny, A. (2013). Aristotle on the Perfect Life. Oxford University Press.

Know Your Meme. (2021). All Your Base Are Belong to Us. Retrieved from [Know Your Meme] https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/all-your-base-are-belong-to-us

Reeve, C. D. C. (2004). Plato: Republic. Hackett Publishing Company.

Shifman, L. (2012). Anatomy of YouTube: Participatory Culture and Digital Memes. Journal of Communication.

Åkervall, L. (2020). Online Lecture on Mimesis. University of Gothenburg.




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