Journal 17 - Truth is a Virus

Robert Zhu

ASA4 A01

In Truth is a Virus, Boyd talks about the power of meme warfare and it’s influence on a population. I am familiar with meme’s prior to this article because they are all over social media, but the article made me realize that meme’s are more than just a joke. In meme’s all there needs to be is a description and a picture what it is referencing to - whether it is the truth or not. I find that this can be a problem politically because it can sort of twist the words or ideas of the picture it is representing. This “joke” can spread very fast and become popularized with different versions of the meme which then becomes the new truth. There is even a UC Davis Meme page on facebook and I have come to realized that a significant amount of meme’s posted has pictures of politicians and it does have an effect on how I perceive the person. For example, if the meme on a specific person has descriptions related to examinations and the college life, it would slightly change how I see the person whether positively or negatively.

Journal Entry #17: Boyd & Dominguez

                The reading, “Truth is a Virus: Meme Warfare and the Billionaires for Bush (or Gore),” by Andrew Boyd seemed very relevant for the contemporary issues the world is facing right now. Memes have become a source of cultural resistance, and their influence is continuously growing in social media. Because these messages are brought onto social media platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter, the general public might seek out to learn more about what is occurring within the political sphere. It is a comedic form of cultural resistance, and because these memes are so silly they resonate with so many people around the world. Now although they might spread awareness, memes also fail to tackle the issue at hand, which is huge prevalent issues that are being either minimized or dismissed altogether. They are humorous, but in the same dynamic, they fail to acknowledge the weight of the problem. To see that Donald Trump holds the most significant seat in America, with no experience, morals, or sympathy, is extremely troubling to people, especially marginalized communities. However, these memes attack his strange orange skin color, and bad, fake hair, and his funny but intelligent way to speaking during his speeches, but the fact that this racist, sexist, and ignorant man has been elected to be the leader of the free world is insane. These memes might spread a certain amount of awareness, but their extent of effectiveness stops right about there, and these real issues are not resolved in any way. The reading, “Electronic Disturbance,” by Ricardo Dominguez actually acknowledges this issue, and urges for more activism and a proactive approach through the mainstream social media and the huge platform it provides. As time goes on, social media is growing more and more, Dominguez believes that electronic activism can actually allow for some change in social, political, and economic spheres.  

Journal Entry #16: Le

            The short story by Nam Le, “Love and Honour and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice,” was very interesting in that it was not only a darker mood, but it also resonated with me when thinking about my own relationship with my father. Because many of our parents choose to deal with their children through a much more harsh, or strict, discipline, there is sometimes a type of resentment that builds up. Because this resentment develops, a lot of children distance themselves from their family as they grow into their adult lives. In hindsight, this is not the best timing seeing as once the children have matured into their adult lives, their parents are obviously much older, and unfortunately there is not as much time left. And so, once children do return for the sake of time, there is a clear divide between the parent and the child. Neither share common thoughts or feelings about most things, and it is rather unfortunate. At the end of the story the father and son reunite and become more close, but this ending does not seem practical or realistic for most children. In my case, my elders will always hold onto their ideals, as narrow as they might be, and will always find the need to impose them onto me and my way of life. This will always be present in my relationship with my elders, and maybe at the last minute, when it is too late really, certain dislikes might dissipate and we might become closer. But until then, there will always be a certain amunt of distance. 

Journal Entry #15: Fiske & Jordan

             John Fiske’s writing, “Shopping for Pleasure,” offered a different perspective in that shopping centers serve as spaces for women to resist against their expected roles which have been formed by cultural pressures.  Although he has made a good argument, I find it hard to believe that these shopping centers do not hold women back at the same time, in several ways. By continuing to shop in these shopping centers, women perpetuate the cycle of capitalism and neoliberalism, and the hegemonic power is therefore reinforced. Now although these shopping adventures serve to release some of the tension from their lives, the act of shopping at these malls does not appear to be all that effective. The one positive result, or benefit, from this act of women shopping in these malls for “retail therapy,” as one might say, is that these women feel a sense of relief, and the shopping essentially is their way to vent their frustrations about their lives. This reminds me of that previous reading about small acts of resistance, and although I agree with the argument that large rebellions against the dominant group might be futile, these small acts of resistance do not seem to stand in comparison to the larger picture of forces at play. John Jordan’s writing, “Art of Necessity,” kind of fit into this whole thought process for me as well. This is because the DIY protest group, Reclaim the Streets, also takes part in relatively small acts of resistance, but they seem to be accumulating a more effective result than the women resorting to shopping as an outlet from their oppressive, cultural roles. It was a bit of a difficult reading compared to Fiske’s writing.

"Truth is a Virus" & "Electronic Disturbance"

The usage of memes in ideological warfare is a relatively new concept that has taken the media and internet by storm. Using memes to spread ideas and concepts through the internet at a rapid rate allows for political agendas and other ideas to quickly come into view of everyone who views it, as it is easy to understand and comprehend for the most part. I think that memes do indeed play a huge role in the political atmosphere of today because movements and campaign can make memes to spread their ideas to a large audience, possibly luring people into their cause. The prevalence of memes has certainly increased with the continuing opposition to the political decisions and other movements globally. Misinformation in the memes can also lead to widespread misunderstanding of certain ideas and facts, making them more important than they appear as some people may use them as actual facts and be mislead.

The electronic disturbances used on the different platforms show the its overall purpose of sending subliminal/nonsubliminal messages to the audience in order to achieve its purpose. The agendas and propaganda that can be spread using these such interference show how easy it is to spread ideas in this day and age as social platforms are one click away on the internet compared to way back in the day when such actions required a lot of man power and effort to achieve. With social media outlets, such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, such agendas and interference can be done easily as everyone can view it whether they want to or not. I think that this is already being done through the memes and subliminal messaging done through social media that almost everyone digests daily.

Andrew's presentation gave me insight into the world of writers and the Asian American representation in American literature. The stereotyping of such writers shows how difficult it is for Asian Americans to be successful in the literature world. Either writing about their experience , a cliche, or writing about Asian literature is something that is a double-edged sword as it shows how typical it is for them to write about themselves and their culture rather than writing about something more interesting. I think that it is also a fascinating point that Andrew brought up about how diverse non-white television shows are usually centered on the families because it gives the Caucasian audience a chance to see how life is like in different families of different colors.

Journal Entry #14: Merchants of Cool

          The documentary “Merchants of Cool” made complete sense to me because it broke down how various industries specifically market to the teenage demographic in strong and relevant ways. There’s a notion of popularity mixed into the situation, because whatever item was “in” at the time would determine if someone was cool enough within groups of kids. If you did not have access to that item, your popularity, or lack of, was automatically determined. I specifically remember as a middle schooler basically dying for a JanSport backpack because I knew all the cool kids wore the JanSport backpacks that were only one solid color. Of course, I never asked my parents knowing they would not waste the money for something as stupid as a cool backpack. Instead, I had this regular backpack that was probably half the price of the JanSport bag. I used to be really upset about it, but a short time later I realized how materialistically dumb I was being, and in hindsight, I am glad I never got the backpack. It is hard to think that these types of things will not matter when you get older, because as a kid these things consume your whole social life almost, but here I am in college, using what $10 bag I find at Target in the clearance section, and I honestly could care less. 

Media virus

As we have discussed earlier in this class, cultural resistance today can take many different forms. Also, due to the vast access and dispersion possible from the internet, there are so many more ways to impact culture. In the reading by Andrew Boyd, discussed his concepts of “media viruses” and the forms they take such as memes. There are quite a few interesting thoughts about how “media viruses” are able to tackle major issues in a potentially more subtle or indirect manor. While the media and internet can be used to spark cultural resistance, and spread knowledge of these issues, I think that the passive nature of the internet fails to convey the weight of the problem. Take his example of memes. While memes can be used to spark the desired interest, the connotation behind memes are playful and short lived. I do not think this is the best way to organize cultural resistance. I am not saying this cannot be an effect way of everyday resistance, but memes often fail to convey deeper meaning. They are meant for a quick laugh and a share but don’t often elicit further thinking. However, the author does talk about how these forms of resistance are staring points and can take off from there. I do agree that these forms of virtual media can be starting points but need cultivation and effort for them to grow into something more meaningful. 

"Truth is a Virus: Meme Warfare and the Billionaires for Bush (or Gore)" by Andrew Boyd

I almost feel like the intended audience of this piece was definitely not college students since memes is like a second language to us. Hate them or love them, most young people see and enjoy their fair share of memes on a daily basis. While we are more concerned with funny, pop culture related memes, Boyd likes to focus on ones that have political messages and strive to either challenge established truths or change the status quo. George Bush definitely has his place in the world of memes, including "Bush did 9/11" and his press conference where that one guy threw his shoes at the former President, but the meme that Boyd attempts to spawn has tried to create some real change.

Especially today with the established power of social media, memes are a way to grab people's attention to get them invested in what you have created. Boyd wrote this article in 2000, where meme subculture was more of an underground, less mainstream thing. Even then, memes played by the same rules.

1) Humor is the main hook for memes.
Laughter immediately increases the attractiveness of any subject. If you can make people laugh, they will want to hear what else you have to say. This was especially useful for Boyd and his campaign against pork barrel spending since after all the laughs and the characters he plays, he has the attention of his audience and he can sit them down and explain to them to meaning of the campaign. Without such laughter, jokes, and irony, no one would really care.

2) Lack of formal organization.
Boyd says that creators and participants in meme culture are rarely bound by any formal or business ties. Rather, what ties them together is a loosely similar set of morals and beliefs about something. One of the important parts about a succ (lol) cessful meme is that is has to be accessible to anyone who want to take part in it. Good memes can be replicated without much barriers to entry, which is exactly what we saw with the Billionaires campaign. People where creating copies of the campaign in different parts of the country, which Boyd supported.

So, while there was no Pepe or Harambe mentioned in this article, I still get it. Memes are a powerful thing. They communicate a foreign language with sometimes an at home message. While they are funny, they are a huge site of cultural resistance since anyone can participate in meme culture without any repercussion for their humor, background, or political stance.

Journal 17 Meme Warfare

This article talked about using memes as a source of political power or resistance. Memes have a different message depending on what kind of culture and media it is being made in. They are messages that are cheap and fast. They can spread really quick or die really fast. Memes can spark some interest in others if it is organized in the right way. They can be ironic so that it can create attention and make others realize what’s going on. They combine content and humor so that it is entertaining to interpret. I think memes are great ways to send messages about problems in the world. It puts the messages in a style that provides humor so that the message is not just about a problem but it can more easily connect with the viewer. It reminds me of a decoy and how it is a subversive way of challenging systems of oppression. It is a way of cultural resistance that can connect with people under the message. 

Journal 17 - Truth is a Virus

            Andrew’s presentation was interesting to listen to as he described different literary works related to Asian Americans and I enjoyed his book recommendations, including The Sympathizer. I included that book on my “to-read list” and look forward to its contents. I thought he brought up a good point about trauma porn and who can write about trauma, like the Vietnam War or the Khmer Rouge. I never thought about it until he mentioned it, but it does seem true that many Asian Americans want to forget about the terrible memories instead of remembering them, memorializing those who died in the struggle, and vowing to never repeat. Unlike Jewish people, Asian Americans run away from these historic events and it makes me wonder who can convey these traumatic events so that they are not forgotten.

In Andrew Boyd’s “Truth is a Virus,” he discusses how memes influence political culture and can serve as a form of cultural resistance. These organizations that create the memes share the same ideas and help spread their opinions through social media platforms. Memes are popular on social media and immediately grab the viewer’s interest because of their wit and humor. This reminded me of Omar’s presentation on comedians of color, because they share the same wit and humor to convey a message of resistance. Like comedians, these memes are also subversively refuting the status quo and poking fun at current leaders (Trump’s criticism on media) or trends. Not only is social media an extremely powerful platform for people to gather, but it also an excellent place to spread ideas in a flash and start a movement. These ideas were also reflected in Roy’s article on mobile culture in Bombay.

In Ricardo Dominguez’s “Electronic Disturbance,” he talks about how electronics play a key part in political and economic movements. Electronic activism can instigate change, which is an idea that has been mentioned in both Roy’s and Boyd’s articles. Although technology did not use to be the mainstream platform for activism, its efficacy is growing now that future generations are using more technology and social media. Ideas do spread like a virus on this platform, since they catch on so quickly and are liked, retweeted, posted, or forwarded to more people. 

Journal (6/6)

Truth is a Virus: Meme warfare and the billionaires for Bush (or Gore)- Andrew Boyd

I think that the idea of a media virus is extremely interesting in this day and age because it’s often so difficult to tell what exactly will become a media virus. Even though Bush and Al gore slogans had gotten all mixed up due to this virus, social media today is even bigger so it’s even easier to get confused. Though with purpose as the media virus mocked the two candidates I think that it’s way out of control and with memes today it’s even easier for things to be spread and get mixed up.

Electronic Disturbance: An Interview- Ricardo dominguez

I think that the strategies used to interfere with radio in order to broadcasts their protests and beliefs were quite smart. In fact I think that in today’s world where social media and screens are a huge part of everyone’s lives it’s even more effective. Even though they’re all forms of interferences I thought that it was quite interesting to learn about the different forms of interferences because each have a different style and give a different purpose.

Andrew’s presentation

I know that many asian american writers today struggle with getting attention from non asian readers and I thought that it was interesting in that they had parallels to that of asian people  in social media and media today. I just feel overwhelmed sometimes by how many areas asians are underrepresented.

Truth is a Virus Response

The article discusses the millennial usage of "memes" to promote ideologies without being some big political force or figure. This concept reminds me of the issue of the "Pepe the Frog" meme. The meme was pretty popular, until conservatives and reactionaries began using it in response to Hillary Clinton and other liberal representatives.When it began to be used more often by these right wingers, in 2016 the meme was officially labelled a hat symbol by the government. A picture that was once used for non political purposes became an image for a complete The movement and set of beliefs. Although memes tend to be represented in a lighthearted way, attaching a popular figure to a group of people is not a new concept- similar to swastikas association to Nazis. The argument that the author is then attempting to make is that these kind of associations can lead to great power in the media, power that can be turned around and used for good. My issue with this is that is that I don't really believe we've seen that much impact from memes as we really think. They're particular because they last for a second and are then forgotten, Pepe doesn't even seem relevant anymore. So while these are ideas are interesting, they may be too much of a stretch.

Truth is a Virus

Karen Nguyen 

913851333

ASA 4

Prof. Maira & Omar

5 June 2017

Truth is a Virus – Andrew Boyd

            The article defines the significance of memes in politics. According to Boyd, memes include the historical category of tools meant to communicate and motivate ideologies. The reading underlines how a meme must be receptive and must coordinate with the current “theme” or popular mode of communicating information. In this way, the memes of the past can include the Declaration of Independence and campus raids of the 60’s because written documents and targeting public spaces like universities, respectively, were trending forms of voicing an ideology. Today, social media, parodies, and public art like stickers and graffiti are all prevalent sources of information. Thus, we see memes dominate these modes of communication. According to the Boyd’s idea that these memes are ideological codes with viral shells that ultimately expend some sort of message of opposition, memes construct communities of resistance. With every re-Tweet of Trump’s duck face on an actual duck or every cute laptop sticker that actually declares feminism, this virus is injected into everyday acts of resistance.  

6/5 tues

Specifically speaking about the U.S, I view that electronic activism (for me) is a form of everyday protest due to its accessibility and its creative form. I could either rant about something Trump’s policies in the form of poetry and upload it on Facebook or create an aesthetically appealing meme and upload it on Instagram. However, electronic activism does not have to be a conscious action such as liking a feminist quote on Facebook can be an implicit declaration of war against the system of patriarchy.

In Dominguez’ argument, electronic activism can now be a more “realistic virtual war” that can actually lead to change, REAL CHANGE that happens through virtual activism! He created a program that allows an activist group to slow any Web site to a halt by flooding it with requests, a form of protest known as a virtual sit-in. This type of activism sounds a little weird to outsiders (which is a good thing for the oppressed), but it possesses the power of technology and accessibility that allows many people to form a community faster than ever before, and probably with the low risk of negative consequences. Overall, I can see that the social media is a cultural battleground that will continue forever and ever, shaping people and objects, and who might know what to come next?

6/5 Journal

Journal 17

This article was interesting to read because it discusses about memes and its affects on the political culture. What made it so notable was the fact that memes are so important in our daily aspects that I feel like it was very easy to relate to this article. The fact that it is described to be a virus in the system is what made it interesting because in a sense social media has been broadcasted to be of such importance than it could easily populate the world of social media and contaminate viewers minds. The fact that majority of the people nowadays have social media makes it all the more meaningful to this article because we can easily relate to the fact when we scroll through Instagram and see a meme on Donald Trump we would definately take a pause and look at the meme again and perhaps let a smile on our faces. I feel that social media is in fact a strong tool to pass on messages to viewers because the intent of it to make humor of the content on their meme makes it easier to understand. 

Also i think that with social media becoming more and more important to teenager's minds it is agreeable to say that it is a virus in our system and it is flawed because many things on social media come from subjective point of views and often times it is easily mistaken or even taken offensively by other people and causing tantrums and other questions arising. I don't think use of social media is very effective but in reality it is the quickest way in our generation now to deliver a message to viewers and even hundreds at a time.  

The reading "Electronic Disturbance" by Ricardo Dominguez acknowledges the issue of social media and memes and urges for activism and proactive approach through mainstream social media that it provides a huge platform.

Journal #17: Memes

This article discusses the power of “meme culture” and how unofficial organizations impact everyday lives and even larger constructs such as politics and how it can be utilized as a form of cultural resistance. These “unofficial” organizations are bound mainly by the same ideologies rather than an actual physical set of documents or meetings, but they also help spread the word on their agenda and infiltrate the everyday lives of everyday people and help incorporate their ideologies into “truths” that some people just accept. The author of the article discusses how they constructed an entire mock up of political nominee and hijacked the entire presidential elections. People joined in on their “joke” and it grew so huge and correlate with that of unofficially organized groups who share the same ideology. Similar strategies are utilized today and it is clear to see the evolvement of this form of cultural resistance, with the growth of social media and accessibility on the web. This article was probably written a while ago (perhaps around the Gore v. Bush elections), but since then the form of cultural resistance they are using which I would consider a form of large scale “trolling” (messing with people) is still around today except now it is much faster and easier to access. The author discusses that they didn’t have the software or the knowledge to be able to carry out certain things for their organization, but today kids on their laptops at home can make up a simple thing possibly mocking a politician’s slip up (“covfefe”, “alternative facts”) and blow it out of proportion. Anyone on the internet will see and understand and this sort of universal understanding of this joke suddenly exists. Unknowingly it is also being developed as an ideology in our minds and it is becoming a part of what we believe as true and common sense. Today’s version of this cultural resistance gets teens involved with their surroundings. Sometimes, I learn about what is going on around me. Although, the author did point out that sometimes the truth is a virus. Not only in the way that it quickly permeates a large mass, but at that scale and in the wrong hands, it could lead to the rise of something horrible (where we are now).

Blog #17: Truth Is A Virus

The analogy that truth is comparable to a virus is interesting in the context of messages pertinent to the political environment. "Either it must infect the code of mainstream discourse and permanently change the habits of mainstream institutions ... or it must create alternate ongoing institutions that carry and reproduce the meme" (Boyd, 375). Memes are especially relevant to this time period, as a large percent of the population consumes media that is released. Social media is a strong tool in spreading messages and other content. There can be both positive and negative types of viruses that are present, each with their own unique characteristics. This can be comparable to real life events in which the reproduction of memes, which sometimes contain the "truth", are able to spread in society.

This reminded me of a contemporary example in which Doctor Devin Dao was forcefully dragged off the United plane due to a discrepancy in overbooking. There were many memes produced as a result of this instance. Some included the mockery of United Airline's motto, "fly the friendly skies" which pictures of the assaulted victim. Others were mantras from different airlines, such as Southwest, which quoted, "we beat our competition, not you." These memes arose and were reproduced all over social media, which aided in the spread of awareness about this incident. Although the time of this "viral infection" did not last that long, the impact or severity it had is substantial. There were many petitions started by Asian Americans, supported by those who weren't Asian American, who did not agree with United's process of handling these conflicts. The result of this viral infection is one that was reproduced rapidly and had positive outcomes.

Michelle Wang-Boyd and Dominguez Blog

Andrew Boyd: “Truth Is A Virus”

In “Truth Is A Virus” Boyd discusses that “the new kinds of cultural resistance and social movement formations have appeared that understand-if not consciously, then at least intuitively-that their terrain of struggle is a “viral space” (374). Media viruses are considered as tools for cultural resistance and used to address important issues in the public. This can relate back to Roy’s “Mobile Cultures, New Media in Queer Asia From Khush List to Gay Bombay,” the role of social media and how it plays a role in cultural resistance. Social media is a mechanism that allows individuals to become more aware of current issues and tool used as  cultural resistance in order to address the injustices occurring in this social and racial society. In addition, media is technoculture that allows for the spread of messages and learning about accessing issues that affect an individual’s daily life.

Ricardo Dominguez “Electronic Disturbance: An Interview”

In “Electronic Disturbance: An Interview” Dominguez emphasizes that “electronic methods of protest are becoming more and more important” (379). This suggests that electronic methods are important towards the political and economic movement and communication and used as a tool of protest. In addition, cyber activism plays a huge role in resistance and activism. This relates back to the article  “The art of necessity: the subversive imagination of anti-road protest and reclaim the streets” Jordan emphasizes that art is a tool used as expression towards resistance and is a powerful weapon used for the DIY protest movement. Both art and media are powerful tools used in movements allowing the mass public to get involved and is a step towards cultural resistance in resisting the mainstream.

Question: What are some other tools and art behind cultural resistance?

Andrew's Presentation:

I really enjoyed Andrew's presentation. It was very informative and I really connected to reading to the story. I learned about the power behind writing stories is to perserve narratives.

Journal (6/6)

Truth is a Virus: Meme warfare and the billionaires for Bush (or Gore)- Andrew Boyd

Boyd begins the quote “Truth is a Virus”, which he saw spray painted on the walls. It was interesting to learn about how memes are media viruses that spread throughout the public. The analogy of how media viruses spread quickly was an interesting take and made sense as Rushkoff describes the process. This led him to his experience as a supporter of meme warfare. BOyd discusses his experience with the Billionaires for BUsh (or Gore) campaign, which devised to educate the public about the twin evils of campaign finance and corruption and economic inequality. The campaigns morphed images of the candidates Bush and Al Gore into a single image and then included slogans as they created bumper stickers, buttons, and mock radio advertisements. Their strategy went viral and got many attention as content and humor were tightly meshed together. They created a humorous ironic media campaign that spread like a virus. I thought it was interesting when the author compared and contrasted the Billionaires campaign to another protest we read about called Reclaim the Streets. WHile, RTS movements evolved out of communities of resistance to create the street festivals, BIllionaires were more consciously designed and put into media stream. However, both were viruses as there was an ideological code and viral shell present. It was interesting to see how the different style of viruses impacts us today. Movements based on memes are cheap and fast but they are also out of control. However, they are still powerful.

Electronic Disturbance: An Interview- Ricardo dominguez

In Ricardo’s article, he talks about Electronic DIsturbance theatre and how these methods of protest are more important. Ricardo believes and insists that EDT’s activism should be understood as theatre. I thought it was interesting to learn about the different techniques used by ACT UP. Strategies they used were Butt ins, Fax jams, and Phone zapping. I thought the strategies these different campaigns used reminded me of the Laotian girls of APEN coming up with strategies to fight and bring awareness for what they believe in.

Andrew’s Presentation:

The presentation was interesting and i liked how Andrew was very interactive by asking us our own opinions and walking around so everyone felt included. I thought it was insightful learning about writers and in particular the struggles Asian American writers face.