White Mamba for Team U.S.A

Memes are much more then just inside jokes between friends. Memes are building blocks of culture- they can be anything from fashion trends to religious and political ideas. They are copied from one individual to the next, forming fundamental ideas and values that gain more credibility with each new host. However, not every meme is successful but any meme has the chance to go 'viral' once it is circulated on the internet. Burgess (2008) argues that internet memes are "a medium of social connection" and the value of a meme is based on its ability to generate more content on its "spreadability". That is, in order to fully understand the cultural influence of memes, it is necessary to see them as signifier of ideas that are absorbed in practice within social networks, not just as texts that are produced and consumed but also as ideas that are mutated by being reproduced and imitated in new works, forming more new meanings and new communities.

Indeed, websites like knowyourmeme.com and quickmeme.com offer participants templates to use, ensuring that "anyone" can contribute to the community. As touched on in the previous blog post regarding the attention economy and the notion of "trend spotting", are also reasons why memes have become such a diverse and popular from of express on the internet, with many site owners encouraging for contributions from visitors. For instance, it is common for site owners to call on visitors to contribute memes based on certain topics or images, as templates to create memes that can form different meanings and different ideas. This is often the case with the NBA Humour and NBA Memes websites on Facebook in which they often seek contribution of memes concerning Brian Scalabrine, and as an incentive for fans, the meme with the most "likes" will be featured on the websites. These spaces are considered “cool" and are seen as worth participating in what is considered a trend setting environment- either as readers, contributors or comment makers. So when fans are making memes supporting Brian Scalabrine or mocking the game's superstars Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, they are not simply following a popular trend because it is considered cool to do so but they are also contributing to the prosperity of the community. In this instance of communication through static graphic-articles or video-articles, and especially with the function of comment spaces, it allows for an open flow of multi-dimensional communication. This kind of social interaction in a space of convergence provides for an ideal environment for memes to flourish.

For instance, numerous pre-Olympic memes concerning the U.S Men's basketball team were related to Scalabrine. NBA fans sarcastically proclaimed what a great basketball talent he is, dubbing him the "White Mamba" or propose far-fetched scenarios involving him, such as trading him for another team's superstar or more recently, suggesting he be named to the U.S Men's basketball team. For example the meme below uses an image from the popular cartoon, SpongeBob Squarepants. The Patrick character typically proposes silly ideas. The meme exploits this notion and uses Scalabrine in the same connotation. Memes containing similar messages have also circulated throughout the internet.

 

Superstar Lebron James has literally thousands of memes dedicated to his long-term inability to win an NBA championship ring. James has been a member of the U.S basketball team in 3 Olympics, but is being mocked about only participating in the games to win a "ring".

Although, as of the 2011 - 2012 season, James is now an NBA champion, memes continue to mock him for having less championship titles to other players.

The Attention Economy- More Brian Scalabrine

So far throughout this blog, I've analysed basketball memes in terms of information and social relationships to diverse the types of memes that exist on the internet and how networked digital media has played a role in blurring the traditional distinctions between producer and audience, and also in spreading and reproducing memes very effectively. And to this point, I've emphasised the notion that memes are used as a form of expression by fans, whether it is to exhibit their passion for basketball or their frustrations with various aspects of the sport. The most popular memes mutate from mass spreading, reworking, reaction and attention. Burgess and Green (2009, 68) in their study of YouTube videos found that people tend to respond more to user-created content and such videos tend to dominate the "most responded" and "most discussed" categories of the website. These videos also tend to be the most spread, with their themes becoming templates for replication and imitation. Thus, it can also be argued that the prominence of memes can be partly attributed to the "attention economy". Davenport and Beck (2001, 20) writes, "Attention is focused mental engagement on a particular item of information. Items come into our awareness, we attend to a particular item, and then we decide whether to act. In the digital environment, attention is perhaps the most valuable commodity. For instance, attention can be directly linked to mimesis on YouTube- the number of variations spawned by a certain video, image or even just an idea is an example of attention and in turn the videos itself draws attention, in a reciprocal process. While content created by amateurs is not guaranteed attention, in fact some generate no more then a few views, attention however, can be accumulated through mimetic activity (Shifman 2011, 199). 

Consequently, trends are formed and adopted. That is, there are websites associating with reporting on the latest trends with what is considered "cool" (e.g. boingoing.net, slashdot.com, getwhitit.com, reddit.com). These spaces provide readers with the latest on what is "cool" from technology to fashion, and are seen as worth following and participating in, either as contributors or readers. The same logic applies to memes in which it is considered cool to create new memes and even cooler if the meme becomes successful (Knobel 2006, 416). Examples of popular memes include the "Hitler meme", "All your base are belong to us" and "Lolcats". For the most part, these memes are often akin to inside jokes between friends and outsiders will likely have difficult in seeing the humour in or point in a lot of memes. However when a particular graphic or a video draws considerable attention either through its high rating, high voting scores or being featured among popular websites, the meme becomes successful and it is then considered cool to spread and imitate. For instance, in the world of basketball, it has become a common trend for fans to create memes featuring basketball player Brian Scalabrine. Unlike superstars Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, Scalabrine, who has spent his entire career as a sparingly used reserve, has become a cult hero among basketball fans. Scalabrine memes epitomises the logic of participatory culture and the attention economy. Memes concerning him begun spawning on popular meme sharing websites and basketball fan communities on discussion forums and social networks, setting a trend that it is in fact "cool" to support the unknown "hero", to the point where individuals not familiar with basketball may mistake him to be one of the game's marquee players through the many memes associated with him. This trend would manifest to YouTube shows dedicated to him and to influence live basketball matches with fan signs and chants showing support for Scalabrine, thus exhibiting the influence of spread through digital media. 

YouTube videos-

Graphics

 

 

 

 

NBA- Where amazing happens

From 2007 - 2009 the NBA ran a series of advertisements featuring still images set to Carly Comando's song "Everyday" or Kanye West's "Amazing" with the catch phrase "Where Amazing Happens". Since then the ads have become popular with fans during the NBA season and on the internet with people parodying them. Earlier incarnations of this meme made fun of the league's crooked referees, ballooned salaries and player off-court discretions. While some memes are global, others are more culture specific, shaping collective actions and mindsets (Knobel and Lankshear, 2007). Later imitations of this meme including blending the theme to other sports, social activities (e.g video games) as well as showcasing what is amazing in one's own life, whether it is serious or comical.

Much like the popular "Hitler meme", where video clips of Hitler from the 2004 German film "Downfall" are used to spawn a wave of memes juxtaposing Hitler's rage with a stream of contemporary issues, the comic device for "Where Amazing Happens" is simple: new captions, images or footage are inserted with the image of the NBA logo and the phrase "Where Amazing Happens" or in the case of a video, the montage is set to the tune of "Everyday".

The series of "Where Amazing Happens" spoofs illustrates the fundamental attribute of contemporary popular culture, such as the representation system of simulacra and pastiche (Jameson 1991) in which core images such as a catch phrase, song, video clip or a photograph is replicated repeatedly. Additionally, the constant re-assembling of texts manifesting in new forms of expression, problem solving, circulation and affiliation by individuals reflect what Jenkins (2007) conceptualises as participatory culture. Fundamental to participatory culture is reworking content and sharing it in mash-ups, remixes, parodies among other actions of expression.

As mentioned in previous postings, the "most viewed" category on meme and video sharing sites is a key indicator of popularity of one's work. However, they also serve as key indicators to not only how many people viewed a meme or video but also how many individuals chose to do something with it (Burgess and Green 2009). This distinction is crucial as it epitomises the difference between the way mass media has traditionally been studied and how media can be evaluated in the digital environment where user participation is emphasised. For instance, the "Where Amazing Happens" memes originated back to a 2007 article written by Bill Simmons on espn.com in which he described a conversation with his friend about how to make a parody of the ad, Simmons shared his step-by-step ideas with his readers and since then his notes have been used as a template for parodies of the ad. These user created texts, whether it is a video or a graphic are simple in format and tend to lack the aesthetics of a professional production. Simmons' criteria is as follows-

"Where crooked referees happen."
"Where stealing money happens."
"Where paying spectators getting punched happens."
"Where a truck party happens."
Where white guys who think they're black happens."
"Where referees deciding a championship happens."
"Where quitting on your team happens."
"Where Amazing Happens."

In this sense, it may be argued that "amateur" texts translate into "good" memes (Shifman 2011). For instance, the "Where Amazing Happens" creations tend to have common features such as — focus on ordinary individuals, one's or someone else's personal shortcomings, humour, simplicity and repetitiveness. This is a distinct contrast and perhaps defiant to carefully crafted corporate content (Shifman 2011). This notion coincides with Jenkins (2009) argument that textual gaps enhance the "spreadability" of content. He argues that since the contemporary media environment heavily encourages user-involvement, the incompleteness and "amateurishness" of texts entices users into further dialogue such as fill in the gaps, address the creations or disagree with the creators, thus contributing to the spread of the meme.

Original videos

Parodies (Bill Simmons template)

Video titled "Bill Simmons Omissions" focusing on aspects of the game Simmons did not touch upon in his template.

Other fan parodies & imitations

Graphic memes

 



 

 

Memes and viral videos

Like the meme community, the activities of online video-sharing communities like YouTube blur the distinction between producer and audience. Similar to quickmemes and knowyourmemes, YouTube use a rating system (like or dislike) to guide visitors towards popular videos. Culturally significant videos will also rise above others based on the number of views. Burgess (2008, 101) writes that internet memes in contemporary culture is a "faddish joke or practice" that becomes widely imitated and reproduced. When a video is spread, replicated and mutated "virally", its reproducibility seems to guide its cultural value. That is, a work’s reception has become a part of its reproducibility. In this understanding, like memes, viral videos online are spread and mutated via distribution networks in ways that media producers cannot control. Speaking on the cultural relevance of memes, Lolcat creator Ben Huh (2010) believes memes are "more relevant than most of what’s on television...just as the sitcom or the 30-minute news broadcast or the soap opera from radio were the hallmark of how a certain generation understood entertainment and culture". For instance, the "Hitler reacts" videos or "the Hitler meme", involves a dramatic scene from the 2004 film "Downfall" in which Hitler realises his imminent defeat during World War II and begins screaming at his subordinates. The film is in German and the videos are remixed so that instead of the fall of the Third Reich, Hitler is reacting angrily to matters like the weak real estate market or the vuvuzela controversy from the football World Cup. Individually, these videos has little influence but collectively, in their thousands and their millions of viewers, these videos signify the variety and versatility in how people express themselves in the digital world. 

Basketball videos are remixed with a similar approach, to convey personal opinions and ideas. For example, in recent years, there has been a popular trend for basketball fans to remix video clips from two particular Nike advertisements: "Rise" featuring Michael Jordan and "What Should I Do" featuring Lebron James. The original ads document Jordan and James' dedication to becoming elite athletes. Fan mash-ups of the advertisements have been reproduced to "Michael Jordan responds to Lebron" and "Kobe Bryant responds to Lebron James" which conveys the perception of Jordan and Bryant as superior athletes citing James's fragility under big match situations. Remixes have also included "Lebron James- What should I do" which is a spoof video of the ad, made by disgruntled Cleveland Cavaliers fans, the team James left to join the Miami Heat. The same ads have also been remixed with gameplay from video games such as NBA2K and Call of Duty, and comically parodied with other sports television personalities to athletes from the NFL and UFC. 

Like memes, the "How quickly they forget" videos maintain a core framework of the video title and the song "Serenata Immortale" as the theme. The videos compare the on-court accomplishments of Michael Jordan with contemporary stars such as Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. 

The dynamics of memes and viral videos can be understood as involving the spread of replicable ideas through the processes of creativity, among individuals and communities connected by social networks (Burgess 2008, 110). Much academic focus is directed at the boundaries between old and new mass-media and the more egalitarian tone that is taking shape online. The notion of advocating for certain beliefs that go against the commercial grain of media producers or converting one's misfortunes into hilarious entertainment for millions of viewers can be as equally important in revealing a truth about the emerging trends in a digital age where the producers and administrators alike do not have full control. In some cases, expressions conveyed through memes or viral videos extend beyond the pleasure of laughter but satirical, sarcastic, expression, intentional or otherwise also jolts the viewer to confront other questions like, "what am I looking at?", "what am I laughing at?" or "do I agree with this message?" According to Walker (2010) in his New York Times article concerning the cultural influence of memes, he writes "This is what egalitarian cultural production really looks like, this is what having unbounded spaces really entails, this is what anybody-can-be-famous means...the real point is that to pretend otherwise isn’t denying the Internet — it’s denying reality". 

Original ads

Fan remixes 

Digital reproducibility and evolution

The current internet meme trend, hosted predominantly by websites such as quickmeme and knowyourmeme and whatdoumeme provides a typical example of how mass reproduction functions in the virtual environment. Typically, an individual meme consists of a recycled image accompanied by a comic caption. These images may feature well-known cultural figures like Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Philip J. Fry from Futurama, Ned Stark from Game of Thrones or The Most Interesting Man in the World from Dos Equis beer advertisements. The images may also represent newly invented characters such as the socially awkward penguin, the paranoid parrot, scum bag Steve or bad luck Brian, to name a few. Memes can be reproduced by any member of the public according to the prescribed theme, for instance memes using The Most Interesting Man's image features the trademark phrase structure, "I don't always....but when I do...."). Since the captions are created anonymously by the viewing public, the line between producer and audience becomes non-existent. Memes evolves like a life form with captions behaving like genetic traits, spreading to influence individual thought processes (Dawkins 1976). Internet memes thus are ideas or concepts spreading and evolving over the internet, by chance, through commentary, forwarding, search, or other communicative means online (Wagner and Jiang 2012, 185). Without the momentum gained by sharing, a meme has little cultural relevance. On websites like quickmeme and knowyourmeme, users are guided towards the most popular memes, thus they are more likely to be reproduced and shared on Facebook streams, Twitter feeds and other social media websites. And when a meme explodes into popularity,  its reproducibility appear to guide its cultural value, thus a work’s reception has become a part of its reproducibility. As a result, consensus are often formed which at times contradict against the commercial imperatives of administrators and producers alike. For instance, as exhibited in a previous post of this blog, many fans through memes, conveyed their views of Kobe Byrant as a selfish player, often disregarding his achievements in the sport, therefore forming a consensual view which contradicts against his official star image. Another example is the cult-like following Brian Scalabrine has attracted as a result of fan generated memes. Despite his perceived lack of basketball skills and playing time on the court, Scalabrine has become the inspiration of meme creations showing support for him that has transcended into positive fan responses during his basketball games. 

What makes memes generative is how the activity of meme creation has been adopted by various participatory cultures. Popular cultural mages or phrases are used by fans to create extended discussions concerning a variety of cultural topics. A meme template featuring a stock image can be used as a crossover to convey messages regarding other cultures and vice versa. This notion was shown in previous posts regarding NBA commissioner David Stern http://memesnba23.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/fan-displeasure-through-memes.html and socio-cultural issues being expressed through memes featuring basketball stars http://memesnba23.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/socio-cultural-issues-through-memes.html . The memes below show how singular images are used to generate a host of discussion topics, many of which are paradoxical to the image's origin industry (e.g. using images from movies or television programs to generate conversations about politics and sports...etc.)

 

 
 

 

 
 

 

Expressions of fan displeasure through memes- David Stern

National Basketball Association (NBA) fans has often blamed executive decisions made by league commissioner David Stern, as the main catalyst for compromising the ideals of competition and fair play in the NBA. Such accusations include, draft rigging to suit teams with larger television markets, allowing player transactions to favour major city teams and refusing to compromise during negotiations talks by the players union for an increased salary, ultimately leading to the 2011 - 2012 NBA season lockout, cutting the season short by 16 games. More recently, Stern was accused of vetoing the trade of marquee of players and rigging the 2012 NBA draft to allow New Orleans Hornets to draw the top pick (the Hornets are owned by the NBA). Certainly, the proposition of fan displeasure towards Stern is supported by substantial levels of fan complaints regarding his decisions, across the various forms of fan generativity on the internet. Fan concerns are voiced out within message forums and more recently are expressed through memes. As proposed in a case study concerning football fans, written by David Rowe, Andy Ruddock and Brett Hutchins (2010) — they suggest that, a common and pleasurable way for fans to deal with what they perceive as 'unfavourable' basketball incidents is to complain. Complaints can take many forms. Perhaps the most familiar is to express discontent at the state of the sport due to the primacy of money and the power of media broadcasters and so on. Rowe, Ruddock and Hutchins (2010) also argue that complaints can be interpreted as a form of fan enthusiasm in the sense that, complaints actually exhibit fans' devotion to the sport, so much so, they are willing to invest their time and effort to express their feelings and build consensus among other fans, as to what they are unhappy about and crucially what they are willing to do about the situation. Using the observations from Rowe, Ruddock and Hutchins’ case study about football fans, there appear to be similarities in the way basketball fans embrace networked media for comment and activism. The memes below exhibit a degree of fan resistance towards the commercial imperatives of the NBA through memes, some of which are attempts of humour through sarcasm while others take on a more serious tone with personal attacks directed at NBA commissioner David Stern. Together, these memes comprise a consensual tone of basketball fans in that they see Stern's ambitions for increased revenue and television ratings as the major contributor to what they perceive as problems concerning the NBA.

Additionally, fans have also associated their displeasure with Stern, with cultural and political issues within society such as healthcare reforms in the United States, the world's aids epidemic and political tensions in the middle east.