WHAT DO YOU MEME? A STUDY ON THE MEDIA CONSUMPTION OF INTERNET MEMES

Abstract

Internet memes, defined as “(a) a group of digital items sharing common characteristics of content, form, and/or stance, which (b) were created with awareness of each other, and (c) were circulated, imitated and/or transformed via the Internet by many users” (Shifman, 2013a, p. 41), have become a significant yet relatively understudied component of the contemporary Internet culture. Adopting the uses and gratifications approach and reception theory, this thesis explores the reasons behind users’ media consumption of Internet memes and also investigates how such consumption plays a role in the construction and expression of users’ online identities. Through 20 in-depth interviews with users of Internet memes aged 18 to 29 in Singapore, this audience-centred study reveals that users adopt Internet memes for a variety of reasons and motivations: relatability, humour, relationship maintenance, convenience, and information. It also finds that individuals construct and express their online identities through Internet memes in three different ways: self-disclosure, self-presentation, and sense of community. These findings build on and even extend existing studies by unearthing themes that are relatively underdiscussed in relation to Internet memes and perhaps more unique to the Singapore context. Other theoretical and practical implications, limitations, as well as recommendations for future research are also discussed. !