What is a Meme Made of? Sociocultural Codes and Structural Principles of Organization

Abstract: 
Article is devoted to the analysis of visual Internet memes in terms of their ability to encode information. Author identifies two levels of encoding information in a meme: the macro level, where the meme is an element of Internet culture, meme is the bearer of the socio-cultural code, meme encodes meanings; and the micro level, where the meme appears as a coded information object with an internal structure of elements and links, the meme itself is a code system. At the level of the sociocode, the author highlights the range of cultural codes incorporated into the meme. At the structural level, a meme consists of a core and periphery elements. At the level of the sociocode, the author highlights the range of cultural codes incorporated into the meme. At the structural level, a meme consists of a core and periphery elements. Changes in the relationship between the core and the periphery implement the principles of “continuity” and “variability” characteristic of memes. The transfer of the core of the meme to another context, the collision of two or more cores creates the basis for a new meme.

Keywords:

doi: 

10.25990/socinstras.pss-20.xpmq-a732

For citation: Miziryak N.A. What is a Meme Made of? Sociocultural Codes and Structural Principles of Organization. St. Petersburg Sociology Today. 2023. N. 20. P. 77-94. DOI:10.25990/socinstras.pss-20.xpmq-a732

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