Lebron's fault

Some may argue that internet memes are nothing more than a waste of time, however, their widespread adoption by net users is an indication of how online mass collaboration can lead to textual productions that generates a diversity of widely shared and newly formed meanings. Undoubtedly, one element of understanding this cultural phenomenon is that, part of the humour in many internet memes lies in mocking the source text. Indeed, the purpose to amuse and entertain is one of the key goals for 4chan, the popular online community many credit as the birthplace of memes (Walker 2010; Douglas 2008). 4chan's goal is to be "annoying on the internet", according to Oli, a 4chan member of over 5 years (Liu 2011, 1). Certainly, with actions such as viral campaigns to send Justin Bieber on a North Korean tour and hacking former U.S presidential hopeful Sarah Palin's e-mail, corresponds with Oli's comments. "Doing it for the lulz" is how Oli sums up why 4chan members communicate in such vigilant manner (Liu 2011, 2). To translate the internet jargon, "Doing it for the lulz" means "Doing it for the lol" (lol stands for "laugh out loud"). So essentially, the actions of 4chan are for comedic purposes. It is perhaps with truism that, with such intent, communities like 4chan and activities practiced by its members can be considered as "time wasters", especially to those who are less informed about online culture.

According to Shiftman (2007), the interactivity of the internet allows users to participate in the joke telling process, which is not that different to the traditional oral condition of joke telling, but still may significantly alter the experience of reading a humorous text. For example the "Lebron's fault" is an example of collective authorship that offers a culturally enriching media experience, that is not driven by money but creativity and personal enjoyment, at the expense of celebrate stars and unsavoury situations associated with them. The meme stems from an interview with Lebron James, regarding a comment he made about another player on Twitter. When asked if he would apologise for the comment, he insisted he would not, citing that he was sick of being blamed by fans and the media for incidents that was not his fault. To date, there are over 5000 fan comments on the EPSN article that covered the story: http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/7556817/miami-heat-lebron-james-apologize-kendrick-perkins-tired-blame-game

Many respondents to the article took his comments and blamed random things on him, such as, the declining economy, the bad weather or the fall of mankind. The article was published in February 2012 and it is still active with new fan comments being posted at the time of writing. With the comments, also came the memes mocking James.

Memes are funny and for the most part, they are silly in nature. But the proliferation of this phenomenon reflects contemporary culture's desire to be active participants in the media production process. As media continue evolve, so will the prominence of user-created content and the various themes, ideals and beliefs that comes with it. Such circumstances provide for a situation where producers and administrators alike must find ways to understand the traits of contemporary fandom.