The literary meme I chose to explore is the “Don’t Tase me Bro” video.
This is an example of a meme, because it is cultural information that has been passed on by groups of people who have like mindsets. The “Don’t Tase me Bro” article on Wikipedia states that the video has had over 4.3 million views (as of the end of 2009).
What I found interesting in the Wikipedia article, was the fact that they gave background information to supplement the events seen in the video. It makes me wonder : out of all the people who viewed this video, how many knew the information outside of what why saw…
For some viewers, the video may have been funny, and maybe that is what caused them to pass it on. Just look at this t-shirt inspired by the viral video- certainly, anyone who would purchase this would have to feel that the video was funny.
For other viewers, the video may have been a way to call into question the actions of the police in the situation or what not to do if 7 police officers are trying to escort you out of a building!
Either way, the video was a huge success.
Memes in the classroom can be an interesting thing. I think it would be very powerful to ask students to critically evaluate the information that they previously were viewing in a different light. Most memes catch our students attention because they are funny. However, students should also be able to understand the reasons behind their success. They should also be able to critically evaluate information, and not just accept it for what it seems to be. There are websites out there, such as Know Your Meme, that evaluate memes for you. I think this would be a great place for students to get an idea of what they should be thinking about when evaluating memes.
