20 September 2011 | Author: C. Tate
Does the phrase 'can has' mean anything to you? Do you await office emails delivering Jedi squirrels or dramatic chipmunks to break up your work day?
Or are bully cats on YouTube something you can't get enough of? Well, these phenomena, known as memes, are now being put under the microscope by academics.
A meme is a concept first identified in the 1970's by Richard Dawkins, who identified memes as ideas, catchphrases, tunes and fashion. In the information age, however, they have been associated with goofy iconography, such as illiterate felines.
One of the key drivers of the meme culture is the 'bored at work' idea, as people want short pieces of entertainment that have a feel good factor attached.
"Any kind of art is alleviation of boredom," writer and blogger Cole Stryker told the Independent.
"But I think that memes specifically are so prevalent because you have an entire workforce that is tied to a computer in a cubicle... The cost of participating in the memesphere is very low. And... companies are realising it's almost necessary for the workforce"
Stryker's book, 'Epic Win for Anonymous: How 4chan's Army Conquered the Web', looks at the history of the 4chan website and its use of memes and 'Kittehs'.
Additionally, Kate Mitner has just handed one of the first dissertations on memes for her MSc at the London School of Economics. She completed a qualitative audience study of Lolcat users, finding - less than surprisingly - they're considered fun workplace distractions.
"The participants in my groups did mention that the digestibility of lolcats (and memes in general) makes them a good workplace distraction because it doesn't require a great deal of time investment," Mitner told the Independent.
"To quote one of my participants: 'It's really about the pleasure of seeing the funny picture, reading the cute caption, being satisfied, and then getting back to whatever I'm doing.'"
'I can haz mazterz?': academia goes viral
Does the phrase 'can has' mean anything to you? Do you await office emails delivering Jedi squirrels or dramatic chipmunks to break up your work day? Or are bully cats on YouTube something you can't get enough of? Well, these phenomena, known as memes, are now being put under the microscope by academics.
A meme is a concept first identified in the 1970's by Richard Dawkins, who identified memes as ideas, catchphrases, tunes and fashion. In the information age, however, they have been associated with goofy iconography, such as illiterate felines.
One of the key drivers of the meme culture is the 'bored at work' idea, as people want short pieces of entertainment that have a feel good factor attached.
"Any kind of art is alleviation of boredom," writer and blogger Cole Stryker told the Independent."But I think that memes specifically are so prevalent because you have an entire workforce that is tied to a computer in a cubicle... The cost of participating in the memesphere is very low. And... companies are realising it's almost necessary for the workforce"
Stryker's book, 'Epic Win for Anonymous: How 4chan's Army Conquered the Web', looks at the history of the 4chan website and its use of memes and 'Kittehs'.
Additionally, Kate Mitner has just handed one of the first dissertations on memes for her MSc at the London School of Economics. She completed a qualitative audience study of Lolcat users, finding - less than surprisingly - they're considered fun workplace distractions.
"The participants in my groups did mention that the digestibility of lolcats (and memes in general) makes them a good workplace distraction because it doesn't require a great deal of time investment," Mitner told the Independent.
"To quote one of my participants: 'It's really about the pleasure of seeing the funny picture, reading the cute caption, being satisfied, and then getting back to whatever I'm doing.'"
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