Blog #3 Kayla Pelly
Media assemblages or media ecologies are constituted by several distinctive sets of articulations. Media ecology is an assemblage of media forms and communicative practices which create a specific media environment (Standage, 2013). Each assemblage consists of three imbricated or overlapping articulations. The three articulations become significantly reconfigured because of the socio-technical affordances.
For this blog, I will focus on articulation #3 and describe the way it is manifested in two examples of media texts “going viral”, drawn from Martin Luther’s 95 Theses and the “Woman Yelling at a Cat” meme. Articulation #3 describes how media artifacts and messages are distributed through culture, community, or society (Standage, 2013). These messages are manifested by the spatio-temporal locations of production/creation; distribution/circulation; and consumption/reception.
Martin Luther’s 95 Theses is a list of 95 propositions written in 1519 by Martin Luther. The document proposed a number of beliefs, including that the Bible is the central religious authority, that helped spark the Protestant Reformation. Luther unleashed criticisms that resulted in the rejection of the Church's authority and power over the messages that were shared with the public (Standage, 2013). This effect, that the printing press had on the reach of Luther’s message, is extremely prevalent. Rather than speaking his message, the shift to printed words allowed his message to be distributed to a greater audience. This allowed for the message to be translated into different languages and ultimately reach more individuals. This relates to articulation #3 as the printing press allowed for his message to be distributed to a greater audience, across different towns and cities as his message circulated and gained popularity. This highlights the ability for his message to go “viral” because of this new form of communication - printing. During this time period, the evolving transcendental influence of the printing press is a historical example of the way in which social media functions currently.
A more modern example during the age of technology and the internet is the virality ability of messages, such as the “Woman Yelling at a Cat” meme. This meme ruled the internet in 2019-2020. It comes from the Real Housewives, captured from a season 2 episode that first aired in 2011 and shows Taylor Armstrong crying, yelling, and pointing while co-star Kyle Richards tried to soothe her. The internet absolutely loved it, and the “woman yelling at a cat” became one of the year’s more ubiquitous memes. Social media users were able to share this meme both locally and globally within a matter of seconds, allowing the meme to go viral. Users were also able to add their own captions and twist to the joke.
I have linked a Buzzfeed article titled: “27 “Woman Yelling At A Cat” Memes
That Have Kept Me Laughing So Hard”:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jamedjackson/woman-yelling-at-cat-meme-roundup
The use of social media to make the meme go viral relates to the 3rd articulation, similarly to the way the 95 Theses had high distribution and circulation, consumption and reception, and interactivity.
In conclusion, going “viral” is not limited to just the age of the internet as it is evident that both Martin Luther’s 95 Theses and the cat meme fit into the 3rd articulation. Overall, the printing press had a huge effect on the storage and reach of Luther’s message, the same way the cat meme went viral thanks to social media’s reach.
References
Mohn, T. (2016, October 28). Long Before Twitter, Martin Luther Was a Media Pioneer. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/arts/design/long-before-twitter-martin-luther-was-a-media-pioneer.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=wide-thumb&module=mini-moth®ion=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below&_r=0
Philipp. (2021, November 16). Woman Yelling at a Cat. Retrieved from https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/woman-yelling-at-a-cat
Ritzen, S. (2021, May 20). How an unlikely marriage of memes gave us 'woman yelling at cat'. Retrieved from https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/woman-yelling-at-a-cat-meme-origin/
Standage, T. (2013, October 15). “The Ancient Foundations of Social Media Why Humans are
Wired for Sharing”. In T. Standage. Writing On the Wall: Social Media The First Two Thousand Years (p. 6-211). Bloomsbury.
Hello Kayla, thank you for a wonderful blog post. It is interesting to reflect on Plato's critique of the written word after we hear about the power that Martin Luther’s work had due to the printing press. What Luther was able to accomplish is amazing, and shows that meaning and understanding can be built from reading a document. Today, I feel like a lot of the things that go viral do not have serious meaning to them. Can you think of any serious statements/trends/images that have gone viral that have been crucial for society? One thing that I think is amazing about memes is the comedic creativity that it sparks within people. Creativity is so important. To progress as a society, we need the ability to be inspired by something and manipulate it into something new. Martin Luther was inspired by the church selling indulgences, and brought about impactful change. While we do not have to constantly be changing things on the scale that Luther did, it is important to practice confidence in your capacity to thoughtfully contribute.
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