Social Media, Memes, and the Spread of Misinformation
Something that always surprises me during my adventures on the internet is how few people take the internet seriously. Especially when it comes to the discourse on social media platforms, the internet is still viewed as a space of pleasure, with some perils, and barely any productivity. Even when people do take the internet seriously, there is also a sense that the internet is so new that it must not be very well-studied (as if the only type of studies that exist are historical in nature).
Especially in my time analyzing platforms like YouTube and TikTok, there is so much work for internet studies researchers to do when it comes to educating the public on the reality of what the internet was, what it is, and what it might become. Despite the belief that things are all fun and games online, in my own reading and research there are multiple areas of pressing public and political concern.
Most recently, I have been following the research and coverage of memes from the Berkman Klein Center, and thinking about how this relates to my own research on online communities and internet comments. As more and more people receive information online, it will be important to not only share information on the memetic nature of the internet but also the importance of spreading information literacy to the public.
