Conversations on Meaningful Memes 2024

Abstract

Internet microformats (short stories, gifs, pics, memes, demotivators, etc.) have a short life compared to “monumental” content, but are characterized by a high speed of circulation and reproduction. Metaphorically, this allows us to designate their life cycle and the specifics of penetration into the information environment, and from there to the consumer, as “virulent”. Memes are short messages, usually combining visual and verbal levels. Their social functions (not to mention cognitive ones), the nature of the impact on the values ​​of generations, the formation and catalysis of worldviews, are usually underestimated. In a dialogic format, representatives of different generations discuss current memes of 2024. The participants in the conversation (authors) talk about what memes broadcast new memes and how they do it. The focus is on corporeality and body representation in memes. The conversations also touch on “peripheral” topics – soviet and post-soviet culture, scandalous events in the media, etc. The dialogues perform at least two functions: first, they are the result of understanding significant microformats and transmitted meanings; second, the texts of the conversations can serve as material for understanding the values ​​of representatives of different generations, understanding patterns and stereotypes of thought. The authors hope that the texts offered to the reader will play at least one of these roles.