TASKS:

1. Comment on 2 ideas that you consider particularly interesting and relevant for the field of Internet Linguistics.

2. Your turn: Provide 1 example of a meme. Explain the language of the meme chosen (text, images, videos, multimodal elements etc.) and the humour mechanisms you identify

Statistical engine for pattern matching (AI)

-> Sacrificed creativity for a kind of amorality

True intelligence = moral thinking

-> humans are limited by ethical principles

-> AI = moral indifference born of unintelligence

Humans = ‘infinite use of finite means’

AI = humanly possible & humanly impossible languages

-> predictions are superficial

Sharing memes implies that a certain community gets you

A meme is a replicator with variations creating bits of culture (see Dawkins 1976 The Selfish Gene)

Memes give humans the opportunity to feel like they belong

Memes like genes replicate "by themselves

It's a 2024 meme, as a result of the popularity of the show Squid Game. Memes often emerge from engaging with popular media, describing relatable situations using scenarios from these stories

This meme uses self-deprecation as a humour mechanism, showing ambition at first and then its counterpart (disappointment) by showing an image of a difficult game puzzle that is harder to solve than the previous year's puzzle.

We don’t create memes for ourselves; while creating them, we’re spreading them.

Memes are bits of culture

https://www.instagram.com/share/p/BAM-3umxfg

-> Gen Z language / Slang

-> Abbreviations

-> Gen Z use of emoji = 😭 (it doesn’t mean crying/ being sad, but laughing so hard that it leads to crying)

-> Poorly cropped picture, kind of blurry

-> Great editing skills

-> The idea of Math being difficult

-> People rely on machines for Math, but the machines are also fed up by Math (humour)

-> Trendy audio

The chosen meme presents a change in the meaning of the abbreviation ASAP, which in this case, stands for “Aperol Spritz and Pasta”.  In terms of content, the meme offers a humorous reinterpretation of ASAP (As soon as possible). It aims to produce a subtle feeling of relaxation and the idea of vacation.

By analysing the form, the meme includes a direct address question “when did you realise”, which creates the idea of closeness between the creator of the meme and the reader. Even if the meme does not include an image or an audio, it still manages to transmit chill, joyful vibes.

From the stance perspective, this meme is suitable for young adults or people who are familiar with the abbreviation ASAP and with the symbols of the Italian cuisine (Aperol Spritz and Pasta). So, the participation structure involves a target audience that is aware of certain cultural aspects.

The keying criteria includes both the tone and the style of the meme. In this case, the tone is playful, ironic, clearly humorous. The style is informal, relaxed, accessible to every reader, the joke is easily understood.

Based on Jakobson’s perspective and his 6 communicative functions, this meme includes 4 of them: the referential function because it does refer to symbols that are used in real world situations (ASAP – every netizen knows the meaning of this common abbreviation, Aperol Spritz, Pasta – every person can have a real image of these products); the emotive function because it awakens in the reader the relaxing vibe of a holiday and it can make him desire a vacation soon; the conative function because the meme starts with a direct question and it seems like the transmitter expects an answer from the receiver; the metalingual function which outlines the reinterpretation of an abbreviated construction, showing in this way the dynamic characteristic of language, which can build different meanings.  

The meme communicates the reality of teamworking with your friend for school group projects.

The two construction workers with the blue helmets holding a poorly drawn house project indicate the strong bond between two group members, yet the subpar sketch of the house suggests the precarious preparations and the unseriousness generated by the closeness of the two.

The caption “me and my bro working on the group project” solidifies the social and educational context of the meme. “my bro” confirms the strong bond between the two men in the image, as it encapsulates a strong friendship. Thus, the two men become “me and my bro”, while the house drawing represents the unsatisfactory planning or even the lack of such an arrangement for their school project.

The sketch is too simplistic for a construction site; this juxtaposition evokes humor. It comically critiques a (possible) downside of working with very close friends — too involved with spending time with one another, the project and the preparation for the project are neglected.

Ideology-wise, the meme mocks the performance–substance binary pair. Although two people have a great relationship with one another and they work good together, that does not lead to exceptional final products.

2. Form

The chosen meme is an image with a humorous text caption above. As visual elements, there is a real-world picture of two people with construction plans of a child-like house drawing and a top-sided caption.

The humor is generated by the overlapping of the visual formalities (blue helmets, blueprints) and the incompetence of the house sketch. The situation in the picture was not initially staged for humor, but was rather edited later on to amplify irony.

3. Stance

3.1. Participation Structure

The implied audience is mostly students but can also include other people who participate in group projects (e.g., for work). The speaker/creator of the meme aligns themselves with the viewer, being in a group together and collectively suffering. As such, the meme suggests communal bonding through shared failure.

3.2. Keying

The tone is definitely ironic and humorous. I believe it is a lighthearted yet critical take on group projects, as it highlights incompetence through juxtaposing the seriousness of the workplace with the childish drawing.

3.3. Communicative function

- Emotive function: The meme expresses frustration as the speakers identifies with the experience.

- Referential function: The meme refers to the real-life issue of group work inefficiency.

- Phatic function: The meme fosters a sense of belonging and relating to the terrible group work experience.

- Poetic function: The humor of the meme lies in the overlapping of elements (text and image combo).

This picture imitates neither the content nor the form of the original (the gifs from the music video of "It's gonna be me" by NSYNC, captioned as "it's gonna be may"). However, it preserves the stance of the original, even though the message is deliberately obscured for comedic effect.

In terms of participation structures, the meme cited builds its humour by gatekeeping its meaning to only Tumblr users, or those familiar with the original meme and its many variations over the course of a decade. While the humour of the original lay in the misheard/ mispronounced word ('me' as 'May'), variations of the meme shifted their focus on other aspects (such as the depiction of the ramen noodles, which refer to the shape of the singer's hairstyle in the original gifs. Conversely, other variations focused on the message "it's gonna be may", reblogging the original as well as its variations every April 30th). The meme cited above, combining various previous iterations of the meme (such as the ramen noodles, posting it on the 30th of April or the 1st of May) serves to reinforce group identity - in this case, of Tumblr users, who are familiar with the meme and the annual tradition of posting variants of this meme as a herald of the month of May. The user even remarks that the message would be incomprehensible if it weren't for the calendar date, which is enough context to decipher the meaning for somebody familiar with the history of this meme.

In terms of keying, this meme echoes the sentiment of its previous iterations, namely that another year has passed and it is yet again the 1st of May, but it delivers its message in a slightly different register and tone than its predecessors. It can be said that this meme flouts the maxim of manner, being overly verbose and dramatic while expressing an otherwise simple idea (the calendar date), for comedic effect

In terms of communicative functions, this meme relies almost entirely on referential communication (it not only references the calendar date, a music video, the singer's hairstyle, etc, but also references a 10 year old meme and its many variations throughout the years). It could be said that this particular iteration also uses the poetic function, as it not only makes reference to the passing of time via making another version of the "it's gonna be May" meme, but it also uses an artistic register ("The passing of time is unrelenting and brutal"). Of course, the contrast between the lofty language use and the picture of uncooked ramen noodles further serves its comedic purpose.

1. "Me having a job"

2. "Me without a job"

3. "Me finding a job"

In all three situations, the character is reacting the same way. The man is clearly stressed or frustrated. That’s where the humor comes from: no matter what your situation is with work, it still feels bad.

According to Limor Shifman, internet memes are not just jokes—they’re a way for people to express ideas, feelings, and opinions. In the study, it says that memes have three key parts: form, content, and stance.

Form: This meme uses a popular format—three pictures with short text and a well-known reaction image. It's easy to understand for everyone.

Structure: It follows a pattern: situation 1, situation 2, situation 3—each one building on the last but ending in the same reaction which is easy to be understood.

Stance: The meme shows a common attitude frustration with jobs in general. It speaks to people who feel tired whether they’re working, unemployed, or looking for work.

Keying : Even though it’s funny, it also points to a real problem. The humor hides a serious message: work life feels exhausting and hopeless for many.

Emotive function: The meme lets people connect over a common struggle. It helps them feel like they’re not alone—and gives them a chance to laugh at a tough situation.