Okay, folks, take your seats. It appears that many of you don’t understand a couple of things about image macros, so I’m afraid it’s classroom time again.
First: who can tell me what the above is?
Absolutely wrong. The picture with the cute little puppy head is an “image macro.” Image macros are just what they look like: images with text superimposed on them. We call them “macros” because they were originally created using forum software. You’d enter a bit of text and a special command into your forum post, and the software would apply a macro that would generate an image with that text slapped on top of it.
Now here’s the important thing: an image macro is not a “meme,” but an expression of a meme, typically an internet meme.
A meme is an idea, a concept, a measurable unit of culture, that spreads from person to person like a virus. All the chunks of “common knowledge” that we share are actually memes, from the Golden Arches to thick glasses to tramp stamps to men wearing turbans. We think of these things and all sorts of associations come pouring in with them. That’s what memes are, and that’s how memes work.
You can express memes in many ways, but image macros seem to be the preferred method these days, and most people just can’t get them right.
Like any good picture, an image macro must get at least one point across succinctly, even to those unfamiliar with its context. There’s a particular — and apparently rare — kind of artistry required to accomplish this. Let’s take a look at a classic to see how it’s done:
This old Courage Wolf macro asks nothing of you. It’s all right there. You see it, you read it, you get it. You instantly know what Courage Wolf is all about, and the meme has propagated.
Now, here’s a bad one:
This (younger) Courage Wolf macro was obviously written by someone with a message, but who chose the wrong medium to share that message. The text is not only so voluminous that it buries the image, but it’s so personal that it defies the collectivist nature of the meme. At this point, you can hardly say there’s a meme present at all.
Here’s a good rule of thumb for making image macros: If your text is pushing three lines, you have too much to say. You’d do well to bite the bullet and just write a freaking post about it. There might have been a way for me to teach this using an image macro, but I’m not that talented. That’s why I did a blog entry instead. But you see what I’m saying, don’t you?
All right, you’ve suffered enough. Study this entry and have your comments and reflections to me by Sunday.
LisVenderLand 