Hi everyone!
My final project was a research paper on how trolls who adhere to patriarchal standards express their racist, misogynistic, and homophobic through memes to disempower marginalized groups online and make these groups feel unsafe and inferior in online and in-person spaces. I wanted to dive deeper into how these damaging groups use memes because many marginalized groups are often encouraged by society and their peers to laugh off the discrimination they receive if it is presented to them in the form of comedy (like memes). However, the impact is not lessened for these individuals just because the delivery is not as direct as being called a slur to their faces or getting made fun of in person. It was important to me to bring awareness to these cyber-attacks to highlight the idea that discrimination against these identities exists in every sector of our society, and they are not able to simply escape because they are in an online environment.

Therefore, I started my research journey on understanding cyberfeminism, and it became clear that it was created to combat these cyber-attacks that many marginalized groups face in online spaces. Something interesting but not so surprising that I learned from my research was that when the internet was first introduced, it was seen as a tool “made by men and only for men,” so this ideology directly influenced women and other minorities to use cyberfeminism as a way to combat this belief. I was also pleasantly surprised to find out through my research that cyberfeminism was updated during its evolution process to include more in-depth issues about race and sexism that previous waves of the movement forgot. This idea was important to me because, as we have learned, feminism does not just deal with gender issues but those of class, race, and sexual orientation, so it makes sense that cyberfeminism was created and updated to address and dismantle the harmful ideologies and treatment of these groups. This idea of cyberfeminism then linked to my thesis that pertained to the use of misogynistic memes because I found it necessary to identify who often creates these types of memes that attack marginalized groups and came to the conclusion it was trolls. It became clear to me that trolls were online groups who exist to stir the pot and post offensive content that harms the groups who are the subjects of the memes because it perpetuates discriminatory ideals about their identities. I always knew about trolls, but until my project, I was unaware of how harmful their behavior can be and how extreme some trolls take their attacks. An example of this extreme discrimination that I found shocking in my research is the meme “Triggered Feminist,” who was trolled based on her gender because a seemingly “triggered” still shot of her at a Trump rally speaking out about a woman’s rights issue (the prevalence of female rape victims in America) was spread around the internet leaving trolls to mock her appearance and passionate advocacy. Something that shocked me (but probably should not have) is that Donald Trump himself shared this meme and perpetuated the discrimination against this woman, showing that troll communities have the power to influence the higher-ups in society.

Another example of the powerful influence of trolls and how they gender trolls I discovered through my research occurred within the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp case. As casual spectators, we will never know the whole truth behind the case, but through my research, I found out that internet trolls took it upon themselves to make memes mocking Heard, crying when talking about her abuse, and even sending her and her child death threats. This extreme case of online trolling shows how the impacts of these seemingly “harmless” memes can translate to severe attacks that can lead to physical harm in in-person spaces if the trolls are serious. Overall, as I learned in my research, these types of troll-dominant attacks exist because of their strict misogynistic, anti-socially liberal ideals and general distaste for women that make them aggressive towards feminists who disagree with their discrimination both in person and online.

Additionally, a fun yet challenging part of my project comes from the anonymous survey I conducted to gauge my peers’ responses to memes. Initially, I only had about 12 participants, which made my data biased and not truly helpful in determining patterns or preferences. However, with the help of my peers, I was able to resend my survey and collect 25 responses that helped me analyze the idea that most participants stayed far away from the harmful memes, thus not encouraging the discriminatory ideas they contained. However, those who did choose the misogynistic memes could have selected them for a few reasons: 1. They were funny to them because they felt like satire 2. They do not see memes as having a truly harmful impact, so comedy can still be found within offensive memes. Whatever the reason may be, it shows the importance of being aware of the lasting effects that memes have on these groups when we laugh at their content or help circulate them on the internet. Overall, researching these ideas was a very interesting experience. It helped reinforce the idea in my mind that the internet has real-life implications in our everyday lives, so we must be respectful participants as we participate in online culture and become aware of those (like the trolling community) who exist to disrupt this respectful nature we strive to create. Being enlightened on how marginalized groups face discrimination in various sectors of society, both in person and online, helps us become more tolerant individuals and better advocates for the groups that need it the most. Thank you to everyone who completed my survey. You improved my project and helped so much!

Hi everyone. For my blog on our artificial intelligence unit, I decided to try ChatGPT out for myself. I have heard so much about it within my classes, from friends who are teachers, and from the internet warning about the risks of plagiarism. I wanted to document my experience with the technology and how Val O’Bryan’s article “Using ChatGPT to get started with the Writing Process” and its various tips to effectively utilize the website further convinced me of the positive impacts of ChatGPT.    

To start, I wanted to walk those who have never seen the website before through the screen that is displayed before you can chat. When you log into the app, you are shown a screen of two images, one being adjustable and the other being the model, and you are instructed to make both images face the same way. This instruction happened two times, and it was to prove that I was a real (human) user and not a bot. Additionally, another popup that I thought was interesting was the “tips for getting started” section, which gives users a rundown on how to use the site, what not to share, like personal information, and a warning that ChatGPT might not always be accurate. I thought this disclaimer was particularly interesting because the site gives students a heads-up that they should not entirely rely on it for their work and that they will have to do additional research. This warning should make educators who are afraid of plagiarism feel a little more at ease because while students can choose to ignore this alert, those who take it seriously will end up using additional sources in their papers.   

In addition, once I got into the chatting section, I started off with a simple “hello” because, as O’Bryan states in her article, even though the site is only a text generator, you feel inclined to converse back and forth with it, and in my case, I almost felt as if there was a person on the other end when it responded with “Hello! How can I assist you today?” This interaction then made me jump into tackling O’Bryan’s claim that ChatGPT can help students choose a topic to write about. To further prove this idea, I asked the chat, “What should I write about?” which prompted the AI to say, “It depends on your interests,” and then it gave me an extensive list of about 15 topics and examples. This seems to be an effective way for a stumped writer to get inspiration on the topics they could write about for their class. Even when I chose a topic from the list and asked for a specific main idea, the suggestion was helpful yet vague, allowing students to get concise inspiration while still formulating their original thesis. As O’Bryan states, she meets with her students to discuss their interests, and while this can still be an effective step in the writing process, ChatGPT can also aid in this discussion and alleviate stress from students who don’t know where to start.   

Furthermore, after experiencing ChatGPT firsthand, I can also say that it can provide quick and helpful information regarding critical technical aspects of the writing process, like citing sources. First, I was amazed by how quickly the responses come in when you ask the AI a question. I wrote down “insanely fast” in my notes because of how instantaneous the answers to my questions appeared. For example, O’Bryan explains how the AI states they cannot provide sources to include in an essay and then suggests that you use an academic database (which is another excellent method to avoid plagiarism and encourage good research skills). However, I wanted to see if the site could provide information on how to properly cite a source instead, as this is information a student might need help locating on the spot. To my surprise, when I asked the AI, “How to properly cite sources in MLA format,” it gave me an instant extensive list of different types of sources and how to cite them on a works cited page. I even asked if it could alphabetize my sources (which would require students to do their own research first), and ChatGPT said yes, they could arrange them accordingly. This assistance from ChatGPT, if used in the way that O’Bryan and I have attempted to aid the writing process, not a way to avoid writing original work, can help struggling students find a specific direction for their writing assignments. Using this site can also be helpful to those students who need help writing on their own, as they might have questions that their teacher will not be able to answer right away. However, ChatGPT does add that their citation rules might not be up to date as they do change over time. So, this assistance is helpful, but as O’Bryan states, we should still encourage our students to cross reference with databases and online sources to ensure all the information they are learning from is credible. It would be beneficial to encourage students to double-check the AI with the Purdue Owl to ensure its citation information is fully up to date.    

However, while I do not believe we should vilify this technology, we need to show our students how to use it and how it would be inappropriate and jeopardize their grades/academic integrity if they did not adhere to the required standards. With any technology, there are rules and regulations that schools should put in place for their students. For instance, YouTube can be used in schools but only for educational or appropriate videos. The content one would use that site for at home is different from the content they are allowed to consume during school. For ChatGPT, this content warning must be explicitly stated by their teachers verbally and within their syllabus. Throughout my time with ChatGPT, I found that alerting students of this etiquette is particularly important because you can ask the AI to create an original piece of work while not assisting it at all. For example, I asked the chat to write me a poem in iambic pentameter that rhymed, and it did this seamlessly with no input on my end besides the initial request. I even asked, “is this an original poem?” and it said, “yes, this is an original creation.” So, while the work is not plagiarized, it still lacks originality on the student’s end. The creation of this poem further proves to me that this technology is remarkable and can be used to help students learn as long as they are shown the do’s and don’ts. As teachers, if we educate ourselves on this technology, we will become more familiar with the best ways to show our students how to use it to improve their skills, not replace them entirely. Living in the highly advanced technological age we are in, there is no point in pushing back against creations like this because, like other websites, all we can do is give our students the tools to use them responsibly and trust they will do the right thing. Of course, certain circumstances will come about where you might catch a student copying ChatGPT’s work verbatim. Still, these rare cases should not negatively impact other students who could benefit from its assistance.    

Work Cited

O’Bryan, Val. “Using ChatGPT to Get Started With the Writing Process.” NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English), https://ncte.org/blog/2023/05/chatgpt-writing-process/

Throughout my time on the internet as a horror enthusiast, I have come across various videos and films that have creeped me out because of their seemingly real features. What I mean by this is that the creepiness of their content comes because of the creator’s idea to make the video/film seem like real people (not just characters) are experiencing a supernatural, unexplainable, or unpleasant dilemma. After watching Nick Nocturne’s video “What is Unfiction? ARGs & the History of Online Storytelling” I am now aware that these pieces of media can be categorized as not just fiction pieces but “unfiction.” Nocturne describes “unfiction” as a piece of media that insists the fictional world, plot, and characters are real. In “unfiction,” no matter how unbelievable an element may seem, there is an unspoken rule that states you cannot admit that the media is fictional. As Nocturne says, the media does everything in its power to make the universe real and does not entertain any idea that it is made up. This idea of “unfiction” fascinated me because of the uncanny valley feature that comes with a piece of media appearing to be real when it is actually fictional, as it makes you question your own reality and what you know to be real (I know how many times can I use the word real). However, when it comes to “unfiction,” it is necessary to identify what we mean by the word “real,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “real” means that something objectively exists, and it is not imaginary. This idea of the word real is what makes “unfiction” so clever because we know what is “real” in our reality; however, the media questions your knowledge as all the characters within the fictional, made-up universe believe their reality is “real” as well. Just writing that idea out made me feel a bit uneasy, but this element of media is an interesting one to analyze as it allows the creator’s message to be portrayed in a unique fashion that is not usually done. An example of “unfiction” that came to my mind while watching Nocturne’s video is the 2012 movie “Amber Alert” which claimed to be a found footage documentary of a group of friends chasing down a car they believed to be the one described on an Amber Alert. This film perfectly embodies Nocturne’s definition of “unfiction” due to the choice of its creator to establish a world where we believe a little girl was truly abducted by her capture, and these individuals were on a hunt to chase him down because of the lack of help from the police. This world and these events might be fictitious, but the actors’ film style and effort allow the lines to blur, and we feel as if we are watching a non-fiction documentary.    

Specifically, “Amber Alert” can be classified as “unfiction” because, within the first few minutes of the film, we get a note on the screen telling us that the footage we are about to see is “found footage” of two best friends who were making an audition tape for a reality television show. We are then told that this footage was given to the police as evidence of a crime that was committed. Right off the bat, we are under the impression that we will be watching actual events unfold. As the audience, we see the two best friends talking to the camera and setting up their microphones authentically, which adds to the allusion that this documentary is non-fiction. These actions aid the movie to have the air of being “not fiction” (as Nocturne says) because these actors are seemingly ordinary people doing their own thing before tragedy strikes, and they are forced to step in to help the kidnapped little girl. 

Additionally, the conflict is integrated into the film seamlessly. For example, I am hyperlinking a free YouTube video of the film, which shows the scene where the Amber Alert is addressed (8:29). Within this scene, we see the two best friends, Nate and Samantha, talking about their audition questions when Nate casually states that he saw an Amber Alert. This nonchalance from Nate aids in the believability of the media as he is initially un-phased by the alert. However, as the film progresses and more information is given, they all start to panic for the little girl. The term Nocturne addresses as a part of the “unfiction” genre T.I.N.A.G (This Is Not A Game) is precisely the vibe this film is trying to give off because they want the audience to believe this discovery of the Amber Alert was unprompted, and the characters are just as shocked as the audience. The Amber Alert film wants us to believe that nobody within the realm of the film is safe and that all of the events should be considered genuinely tragic. These qualities help the film’s message come across effectively, as we can see through the characters of Samantha, Nate, and the little girl the dangers of not correctly reporting an injustice you see and how the neglect of law enforcement can have devastating results. 

Overall, the genre of “unfiction” is an effective method of storytelling as it aids in the immediacy of a film. When we watch an “unfiction” documentary film, we are taken into the world of the characters in a way that seems most authentic. Even if it is for a moment, we second guess what is real and what is fake. As the audience, we almost feel like we have entered the fictitious world we are watching, and the idea of just watching a movie on television seems further removed. ”Unfiction” often mirrors our world (which we consider real) in an uncomfortable way, making films like “Amber Alert” extremely unsettling and effective in portraying their particular messages.    

Works Cited

Nocturne, Nick (Night Mind). “What is Unfiction? ARGs and the History of Online Storytelling.” Night Mind. YouTube, January 19, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftCKeWJordI&feature=share

As a queer woman, I always look for media that sheds light on the experiences of those whose voices have been silenced throughout history. It is not uncommon for the struggles of POC, the LGBTQ community, and women/non-binary individuals to have their struggles erased and overlooked by society. However, finding representation in the media is the only way we can reclaim any power in society, as it is in our hands to create art that shares our truth about the injustices bestowed upon our identities. The type of filmmaking that creates the representation of these groups by sharing the experiences of marginalized communities closely aligns with Alexandra Hildago’s definition of feminist filmmaking. Throughout chapter 2 of Hidalgo’s textbook Cámara Retórica: A Feminist Filmmaking Methodology for Rhetoric and Composition, she explains that aspects of feminism encompass the struggles and fight for equality not just in terms of gender but of race, class, ethnicity, religion, and other identities which are not represented properly or at all in society (Hildago 1). Therefore, for a film to fall under the feminist filmmaking category, specific criteria must be met, which Hildago addresses as the feminist filmmaking principles. I will argue that feminist filmmaker Cheryl Dunye’s 1996 film “Watermelon Woman” follows various steps of Hildago’s criteria for a successful feminist film and successfully sheds light on crucial issues relating to race, sexuality, and class.   

To start the analysis, it is essential to explain who Cheryl Dunye is, as her identity drives her passion for her work. Dunye is a black lesbian who received the accolade as having the first feature film directed by a queer black woman with her film “Watermelon Woman” (Crow 1). Dunye’s film “Watermelon Woman” is half fiction and half nonfiction as the main character, Cheryl, is played and loosely based on herself. In the film, Cheryl is an aspiring filmmaker trying to find the identity of a black actress whose identity was left out of the credits of a movie she was starring in, seemingly erasing her identity forever. Cheryl became so passionate about finding the identity of this actress because many black actresses in the 1930s and ’40s were left out of movie credits, and rightfully, Cheryl felt outraged by this injustice. Now, what makes Dunye’s approach to creating the “Watermelon Woman” so successful is that from within the first 10 minutes of the film, it is apparent she adheres to Jackie Hildago’s first principle of feminist filmmaking criteria, which is the need to have diversity within the cast in front and behind the camera. Dunye is a black woman, and her best friend in the movie, Tamara, is a black woman with a black girlfriend named Stacy. As Hildago states, it is essential to cast actors and actresses who can represent communities that mainstream media usually does not promote or advertise (Hildago 3). If Dunye had hired a white main cast, then the critical racial issues pertaining to women of color would have been overlooked, as the cast would have been filled with people who do not suffer discrimination due to the color of their skin. Choosing to have a black queer main cast is empowering and exposes viewers to a group of individuals whose identities are overlooked. As Dunye stated in a 2018 interview with IU CINEMA, she makes films primarily for women, the queer community, and, most importantly, those who look like her. This is why having a cast filled with individuals who looked like her was necessary, as representing the queer and black community is the most impactful aspect of her films. Additionally, when talking with the OWN network, Dunye explains that in the mid-’90s, nobody wanted to fund black lesbian feature films, which forced her to spend her own money and create a crew of her friends to tell this important story on the erasure of black women in history and the black lesbian identity. This final detail shows Dunye’s successful representation of multiple identities on and off the screen, making the creation of “Watermelon Woman” successful feminist filmmaking. 

(Tamara on the left, and Cheryl)

In addition, Dunye’s film perfectly captures Hildago’s sixth principle of feminist filmmaking: the film’s content must address various social injustices. A key idea of Hildago’s identification of feminist filmmaking is one that I have personally spent time in my undergraduate years trying to convey in my research, and it is the idea that feminism must go beyond just gender as it must also fight for equality based on race, class, sexuality, and other minority groups. The idea that feminism only adheres to gender is very surface-level and ignorant, so Dunye goes beyond that way of thinking and highlights the struggles of various groups. When it comes to race, Dunye addresses the injustice of the lack of appreciation and visibility of black women throughout history through her looking for the “Watermelon Woman.” This idea is powerful because, at the end of the film, Dunye states that this specific instance of the “Watermelon Woman” is not real as she is a made-up alias created for the film’s sake. This was done to emphasize the erasure of black women throughout history and how the entertainment industry purposefully left their names off the credits, giving society the unjust idea that a black woman’s work is not appreciated and easily replaceable. Additionally, Dunye quotes herself at the end of the film, stating, “Sometimes you have to create your own history,” and this is precisely what Dunye did as she created the story that the Watermelon Woman’s “real name” was Fae, who was black, and a part of the LGBTQ community as her secret partner was her fellow costar, Martha. By creating a story like this, Dunye can address racial issues and draw attention to black lesbian identities. In a scene in the film, Cheryl talks to a white professor about the findings of the love affair between Fae and Martha, and she reacts in disbelief and is unconvinced of a biracial lesbian relationship during that time. The scene with the professor highlights the issue of people refusing to acknowledge black lesbian identities throughout history. Many people who disagree with the LGBTQ community act as if we are new to this generation; however, we have always existed throughout every generation and timeline. Dunye created this character arc for Fae to show the truth that talented, black, and queer women have existed and will always exist, and their voices will not be silenced because there will always be people fighting for their rights. 

Lastly, Dunye addresses social injustices related to class, gender, and race using her own character. In the scene where her character Cheryl is alone outside holding her camera, two police officers spot her and say: “Looks like one of our crackhead friends” and accuse her of stealing the camera (which is hers) and state she looks like a freak because she is a girl who resembles a boy. This scene closely aligns with Hildago’s sixth principle as she states that work that humanizes a population and seeks social justice can be deemed a success in terms of feminist filmmaking. This applies to Dunye’s scene as she can humanize Cheryl as a black lesbian because she lets the audience know her as a person, and even though the police believe she is dangerous, we know this is untrue. Thus, Dunye creates a sense of empathy for her character and brings attention to the unfair treatment of black people by police officers. Cheryl is racially profiled and judged by her perceived social class and gender expression. Dunye wants the audience to feel the outrage of this occurrence and bring awareness to these very real issues.   

Overall, Cheryl Dunye is a feminist filmmaker because of her diverse casting on and off screen and her ability to address important racial, gender, sexuality, and class issues in her film “The Watermelon Woman.” This film was the perfect combination of comedy and romance, with the inclusion of essential themes that enlighten society on issues that need to be taught in classrooms and history books. Throughout our educational careers, we are often taught a very white-washed, surface-level overview of history. However, we must do our research, listen, and give space to people like Cheryl Dunye, who fight back against this discrimination to educate others and bring justice to those identities that have been wronged. I highly recommend the “Watermelon Woman.” I was able to watch it with a Paramount Plus subscription! 

Works Cited  

Francis-Crow, Alana. “8 Essential Feminist Filmmakers.” FEM Newsmagazine, 10 May 2018, https://femmagazine.com/8-essential-feminist-filmmakers/ 

“Final Draft: Cheryl Dunye on Film.” YouTube, IUCINEMA, 18 Apr. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=it7Kra-Aw-g. 

Hidalgo, Alexandra. Cámara Retórica: A Feminist Filmmaking Methodology for Rhetoric and Composition. 

A meme near and dear to my heart is the “Woman Yelling at a Cat” meme as I remember it going around Twitter and Instagram and finding it hilarious. What was/is funny about this meme is the randomness of the two images coming together. Numerous seemingly random images have shaped my sense of humor. My friends and I always joke that our humor is “broken” because we laugh at some of the weirdest memes or pictures. However, in reality, our humor isn’t broken, we are just communicating through specific images that are relevant to our group. As Alexis Benveniste states, memes are self-replicating inside jokes that we share throughout our friend groups and on the internet to get a reaction and to communicate (Benveniste para 2). It is vital to understand that memes, like most information on social media, must be brief but entertaining for them to go viral, which is why Benveniste includes the idea that a meme must be understood within seconds (Benveniste para 10). This description of memes is spot on because when I see a photo with “meme” potential, it is determined by whether it has the qualities for a witty caption that conveys what I am thinking. For example, when I take a picture of my dog giving a side eye, I will send it to my friends and say, “You when you see *insert applicable name* because this communicates the inside joke we have that whenever they see this person, they are uncomfortable. The beauty of memes is that they are also universally applicable, which means the picture of my dog giving an awkward side eye could be used to describe anyone’s discomfort. This interaction is based on the meme because we all mutually understand each other through that blurb and the photo, with minimal words exchanged, making the meme successful.  

Furthermore, when discussing successful memes, it is necessary to address the “Woman Yelling at a Cat” meme that meets all the criteria for a successful meme. To start the analysis of the memes’ strength, we must know exactly what we are looking at in terms of the memes layout. This meme starts with a still shot posted by the Daily Mail of Taylor Armstrong from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills yelling at another cast member on the episode “Malibu Beach Party From Hell” on December 5th, 2011 (Know Your Meme 1). In the other part of this meme, we see Smudge the cat in front of a plate of vegetables that he is dissatisfied with (as shown on his face). Smudge was initially posted on Tumblr in 2018 by a user named “deadbeforedeath,” gaining 50,300 likes and reblogs in just a year (Know Your Meme 1). These photos were decently successful reaction photos on their own as they gained likes and shares on the internet. However, they fused as one viral meme when a user on Twitter named “MISSINGGIRL” tweeted them together because she thought they fit hilariously, and this was when the true viral success popped off. (Know Your Meme 1). The success of this meme can be traced back to Beneveniste’s explanation of good memes as the format followed two well-known photos that were then used with a brief, universally relatable caption spread online to summon reactions and interactions between users. For example, this specific version of the meme exemplifies the idea that many people generalize all video games as violent and, therefore, they are passionately against people playing them. However, Animal Crossing fans or anyone who knows of the game (which is most people on social media) know the peaceful nature of the game, thus showing the annoyance of the claim through Smudge’s face. Variations of this meme, like this one about animal crossing, can be used to influence an audience to show how the over-dramatic nature of certain claims can be comedically debunked, as not all video games cause or even contain violence. This memes influence can also be used to show those who believe the video game argument to be open to the idea that not all games cause harm through the comedic use of Smudges face and a factual blurb on the innocence of Animal Crossing. 

Likewise, because memes are so influential and anyone can share and create them, they also can be used in a discriminatory way. For example, the two creations below of the meme we have previously analyzed are created with tones of misogyny and discrimination. It is obvious that a man or a woman who holds these misogynistic ideals created these memes, as the first one is insinuating that women don’t let things go and always overreact, thus being unable to do the job of a referee who is supposed to call fair shots. Additionally, the following meme insinuates that women cannot be in charge and that if a woman is offended by the assumption that a man is in charge, she is over-emotional and in the wrong. The type of discrimination within meme culture is explored in Derek Sparby’s article “Meming the Party Divide: Representations of Gender in Political Memes.” As Sparby explains, women and people of color are often depicted as lacking intelligence and as an object of male desire in all media outlets, making memes no different. Memes help the patriarchy reinforce how “the perfect woman” should act and exist within a patriarchal-driven society (Starby para 9). This idea is perfectly illustrated within the Woman Yelling at the Cat meme because misogynistic men can add their captions to influence how society views women based on their own agenda. When memes’ like the one about “asking for the man in charge” are created, this notion of women only existing to follow men and to look up to them instead of being intelligent members of society is perpetuated, therefore keeping misogyny alive and the patriarchy on top. 

Lastly, another misogynistic and harmful idea that can be expressed within memes happens when inaccurate information is spread, which often happens to women to make their arguments look unimportant or ridiculous. Starby explains that Hilary Clinton is often a victim of this as immature right-wing meme creators include her husband’s infidelity when making memes about her to show how she is unfit to be a president because she “can’t control her husband’s genitals.” (Starby para 19). This idea of useless information being used to diminish a woman’s argument in the style of a meme can be seen in the meme below, which we can infer is a woman saying she is worried about the Coronavirus (a valid concern) and then a patriarchal, misogynistic perspective comes into play with useless information about how this person has had unprotected sex to devalue the initial concern. The patriarchy has found a way to make fun of women and shame their sexual behaviors even through the use of memes, showing that the patriarchy abuses the use of memes for their own personal gain.

Overall, the use of memes has the ability to influence our society in positive and negative ways depending on the intention of the person creating and sharing them on social media. I use memes to have a good laugh with my friends, and I stay away from the section of the internet where memes are used for evil rather than good (as shown above). Memes, regardless of their intent, create camaraderie in society as those who agree with the meme can share it and talk about the content, and those who disagree can communicate these ideas amongst each other to share their dissatisfaction. This meme, in particular, has very light-hearted roots but was also able to be used for a misogynistic agenda, showing that there are many sides to the internet, and we must be aware of the persuasion tactics used even in the media that appears unthreatening. 

Works Cited

 Benveniste, Alexis. “The Meaning and History of Memes.” New York Times, 26 January 2022. 

Knowyourmeme “Woman Yelling at a Cat: Part of a series on Smudge the Cat” 2019,

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/woman-yelling-at-a-cat 

Sparby, Derek M. “Meming the Party Divide: Representations of Gender in Political Memes.” Enculturation: A Journal of Rhetoric, Writing, and Culture. 24 March, 2022.

Often, the remediation of films comes from the entertainment industries’ need to repurpose certain content in a more profitable way (for themselves) or with the idea that it will improve the viewing experience (Bolter et al. 68). When remediation of a particular movie comes about, it is done to create something new but not to erase the original because the industry is aware of the original and wishes to build upon those ideas (Bolter et al. 68). I can think of a few instances where films were redone to change how we perceive the media; however, they failed. For example, one of my favorite television shows ever since I was a kid has been Avatar the Last Airbender, and in 2010, they tried to transform the show into a film. I can only assume this was to adhere to an older audience as the movie was more serious than the show, which had a lot of comedy. However, it flopped (it has a 5% on rotten tomatoes) as the essence of the television show was completely lost (in addition to them whitewashing the main cast). I can infer that lack of success is expected for some of these remediation projects because your intended audience might not perceive your media as you want them to, especially if you change aspects of the original form and make them worse, in the audience’s opinion. As a fan of the original series, the movie felt different from the same Avatar I knew, thus straying too far in a different direction and becoming a new project that lost sight of its predecessor.  

Nonetheless, some remediations/adaptations have been so successful that they are passed through various countries, translated, and then adapted by filmmakers to become the face of an entire brand. One specific example of this that came to mind while reading was the folk tales by the Grimm brothers. These stories are familiar works to us and display media remediation as they underwent various changes throughout the years before they came to us on the screen from Walt Disney. Simon Bronner explains that these alterations can be traced back to the nineteenth century when the Grimm brothers wrote the stories, which were then translated by English author Edgar Taylor (Bronner 194). Bronner explains that Taylor found the remediation of the stories necessary when he translated them in England as he included illustrations to appeal to a younger audience and altered some of the texts to leave out gruesome or unsightly details (Bronner 195-197). Additionally, gruesome details were also left out in the American remediation of these texts, while colorful images were added to grab children’s attention and increase production (Bronner 199). These simple remediations caused production to increase, and a new wave of consumers appeared. However, in 1937, Walt Disney created his success by remediating an already beloved text and adding modern features to tell the story that appealed to various audiences. The movie Snow White was created using animation, making Grimm’s stories that were passed down through different countries and versions into a film.  

Additionally, when it comes to Bolter/Grusin’s framework of immediacy/hypermediacy, it becomes clear that immediacy was created through the animated versions of these stories as Bronner states that Walt Disney allowed these tales to be created with the idea of a folktale without reference to the folk (Bronner 207). Disney was able to take the folk stories that everyone held tangibly in their hands and read on paper and allowed them to be viewed on a television or movie screen in a more immersive environment. This immersion emphasizes the idea of transparent immediacy because instead of holding a book and the technology being apparent, the consumer is closer to being fully immersed into Snow White’s world rather than the technology being at the forefront of the consuming experience. However, as we have learned, all media has limitations, and while Disney’s animations can be viewed as much closer to immediacy, hypermediacy also can be identified because viewers are not entirely unaware of the medium that brings them the newly animated story. Instead of being aware of the book they are reading, the audience becomes aware of the clunky television or staticky movie screen that carries this text to them.   

Through analyzing the evolution of Grimm’s stories, the intentions behind remediating the stories into a film come from Walt Disney’s vision of the future of technology and how adapting these stories into movies would be more enveloping for the senses and improve the way consumers viewed these tales. Folktales can only be seen on paper or verbally understood. However, Walt Disney saw the appeal of making these stories come to life. When media is altered throughout history, it sets a precedent for future media to grow and adapt, whether within a particular brand like Disney or a group of technologies like VR headsets, as stated by Bolter in Chapter 1 of Remediation. If media remediation did not exist, we would still be reading the original Grimm’s stories, or possibly not at all, as they would not have been translated and altered. While Grimm’s stories are just one example of how media is remediated for the better, there are plenty of examples that show how the world around us is always changing and the experiences that we had with technology even five years ago don’t fully match up with the experiences we have today. I am not sure how long 4DX movies have been around, but I recently saw The Meg 2 in 4DX and proceeded to be whipped around the theater in my chair, blown in the neck with air while water sprayed us from the ceiling. This immersive experience was not in our everyday movie theater in the early 2000s, but now you can go to a Regal and see it whenever you want. This is just another example of how films continue to strive for full immersion and how our technologies will continue to surpass our expectations.   

Works Cited  

Bronner, Simon J. “The Americanization of the Brothers Grimm.” Following Tradition, University Press of Colorado, 1998, pp. 184–236. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt46nqtf.9. 

Bolter, Jay David, and Richard Grusin. Remediation: Understanding New Media. MIT Press, 2000. (Chapters 1-3.) 

Hello everyone! My name is Cassandra Provenzano, I am 23 years old, and this is my first semester at Stony Brook University! I am a master’s student in the English program, and I graduated from St. Joseph’s University with a Bachelor’s in English Literature and a minor in Communications. While at St. Joseph’s, I joined the English honor society (Sigma Tau Delta), and it was a very tight-knit community of my peers that was always was there to encourage and help each other out, which I will always cherish about my time in undergrad. Regarding my academic interest, I am passionate about researching feminist and queer themes throughout literature. I wrote my undergraduate thesis on James Joyce’s Dubliners and how many female characters were queer-coded or simply went against the norms of their society and, therefore, were punished by the patriarchy that runs their (and our) society.   

Additionally, some of my interests outside of school include visiting different types of museums and historical sites. I have been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art countless times, and it truly never gets old. This summer in particular, my girlfriend Vanessa took me and my two best friends upstate to visit the Lyndhurst Mansion to tour the inside and explore the grounds. I have also visited the Oheka Castle right here on Long Island, and because I am highly interested in art history, looking at the different architectural styles of these locations always excites me and makes me want to explore other places. My next mini adventure is to visit the Louisa May Alcott house in Massachusetts, as Little Women is one of my favorite pieces of literature. Alongside museums and historical sites, I also love visiting amusement/waterparks. Over the summer, I visited the Camelback Resort in the Poconos and the Kartrite in upstate New York, which are both waterparks. Lastly, I have always enjoyed astrology (I’m a Cancer sun, Pisces moon, Aries rising) and astronomy and frequent the Vanderbilt Museum’s planetarium shows in Centerport, which I highly recommend.   

Finally my interest in this class comes from my career goal of teaching at the college level. It became even more apparent to me throughout the peak of the pandemic how important various methods of online learning are to students and educational professionals. I completed most of my bachelor’s degree online due to the pandemic, and I was able to thrive in an online environment thanks to the dedication of my professors to make Zoom classes enriching and online posts thought-provoking. As people and educators, we must continue educating ourselves on ways to assist students and society in using technology to communicate efficiently and better our lives, as it is such a prominent part of our world. Throughout the semester, I plan to better educate myself on the societal issues that arise with using technology and how we can minimize the impacts of certain people’s identities feeling attacked or dictated by the spaces created online. Building off of the idea that issues arise with the use of multimedia, I would love to be better educated on how to create safer spaces online for students and how to use media in the most optimal way for learning. There is a lot of media for people to consume, so it’s essential to know what works best for the audience you are presenting the information to and if it will benefit their learning experience or perception of the world. 

Overall, I look forward to learning with and from you all this semester! 

Cassandra Provenzano 🙂