Blog Post #3 - Morgan Brown
Throughout CS 371, we have explored the idea of media assemblages or media ecologies, how the two terms have created media environments. These two terms are established through three articulations; in this blog post, I will be discussing how articulation #1 is manifested in Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, "Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences" and the "Woman Yelling at a Cat" meme. Articulation #1 discusses the relationship between the message/content, the means of communication (the media form that contains the message/content), and how it is produced, distributed and consumed.
Johann Tetzel was a German preacher who declared that if people purchased indulgences, they would be absolved of punishment or consequences for future sins. It was also noted that people were able to buy indulgences for friends or family members who had passed away, also absolving them of punishment for their sins (Standage, 2013, p. 52). Tetzel’s reputation of profiting off of indulgences is what originally inspired Martin Luther’s 95 Theses. Luther was against this entire approach, resulting in him writing a letter to Arch-bishop Albrecht and attaching a copy of the "Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences".
The first aspect of articulation #1 is the message and content; Martin Luther’s 95 Theses consisted of "a list of ninety-five theses, or propositions, written in Latin that he wished to discuss, in the academic custom of the day, in an open debate at the university" (Standage, 2013, p. 52). Next, the means of communication for Luther’s 95 theses evolved from the original copy sent to Arch-bishop Albrecht, into pamphlets and broadsheets, where it was copied, reprinted, redistributed and even translated to other languages. Considering that this was in 1517, the rate at which the 95 theses was circulated is astonishing. First, it was produced, sent to Arch-bishop Albrech, passed through various academic circles, and was circulated and consumed very rapidly around Europe. Luther’s 95 theses is what sparked the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. The media forms and use of the printing press is what enabled this inspiration to spread. John McQuillen, who works at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, said that "[t]he ideas of the Reformation happened because of Luther’s words, and because of all the imagery that went along with it," (Mohn, 2016).
The "Woman Yelling at a Cat" meme had a similar experience to Martin Luther’s 95 theses, however it was done in modern society, in the age of technology and the internet. The meme featured stars from the reality TV show, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and a white cat. The message or content of this meme involves two photos, one that represents one side of the table, and the other that represents the other. The left-side photo features Taylor Armstrong — who is very visibly upset — and co-star Kyle Richards who is attempting to calm her down. The right-side picture involves a confused white cat, who is sitting before a dinner table. For context, the left-side photo was taken after Armstrong’s husband had committed suicide, and co-star Camille Grammer — who was actually on the other side of the table — was "shall we say, less than sympathetic when gossiping about Armstrong’s plight" (Ritzen, 2019). The photo of the white cat was uploaded by Tumblr user deadbefordeath, he captioned the post 'he no like vegetals' (Know Your Meme, 2019). The means of communication involved mobile devices and the internet. Both pictures gained popularity on the internet, and then "Twitter user @MISSINGEGIRL made a post containing both images" (Know Your Meme, 2019). From here, the meme was captioned with various titles, Greenspan (2019) used the example "WHAT-A-BURGER | WATERBURGER" in Time magazine. The meme achieved virality, as it continued to be reproduced, redistributed, and consumed by millions of people on the internet.
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