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.