‘Who is /ourguy/?’: Tracing memes to study online subcultures

Abstract
In fast-paced attention economies, Internet memes and catchphrases that manage to ‘stick’ have arguably come to form anchor points in rapidly changing discourse: from discussions on ‘wokeness,’ clashes between ‘boomers’ and ‘zoomers,’ to catchphrase-laden conspiracy theories. This talk discusses how we may repurpose these objects as nodal points for research into online subcultures. In specific, I discuss several case studies of where I follow how memetic phrases proliferate on and around the far-right 4chan/pol/ forum, an infamous space that has been at the root of many political memes. I outline how these methods may reconfigure our ideas memes as objects of study, as well as challenge some assumptions and procedures embedded in digital methods research.
Speaker Biography
Sal Hagen is a researcher affiliated with the Digital Methods Initiative and OILab of the University of Amsterdam. His PhD research concerned the collectivity of radical imageboard groups, which he examined through quali-quantitative, data-driven methods. As part of this, he works on research tools to study online platforms and digital culture, notably through 4CAT (4cat.nl).
Booking Information
Upon booking, attendees will receive an automated confirmation email which will contain a link to the online event page. This event will take place on Zoom. Attendees will receive a second email closer to the event booking which will also provide the link to the online event page. Please use the same email for registering with Eventbrite and when logging into Zoom.
Event Information
This is a webinar, which means that attendees’ microphones and cameras will be off. There will be opportunities for participants to turn their microphone on and ask questions during the discussion. This event will have live captions. Please inform us of any access requirements by emailing cdcs@ed.ac.uk. Further details about how CDCS uses your information obtained from booking onto our events can be found at in our Events Privacy Statement.
Event recording
First broadcast on 27 March 2024.
This recording is licensed under CC BY 4.0
To watch in full screen mode via Media Hopper, click here.