Bernie Sanders' Dank Memes: Digital Humanities and Political Activism
Abstract
Memes have played an increasing role in political rhetoric, providing an opportunity for digital humanities analysis. In 2016, Bernie Sanders campaigned for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. His campaign was notable for many reasons, not least among them his reliance on grassroots support and funding. While most candidates' super PACs fund advertisements, travel, and events, Bernie Sanders received his funding from his supporters at an average of $27 per donation. Sanders' call for grassroots support also manifested in unexpected ways, such as the production and dissemination of pro-Bernie Sanders memes, particularly those posted by members of the Facebook group Bernie Sanders' Dank Meme Stash (BSDMS).
Some criticize social media-based activism as ineffective and, specifically, argue that the memes produced and shared by BSDMS have no message other than that Bernie is "cool" (Dewey, 2016). However, the large number of group members (460,000 members as of March 3, 2017) of BSDMS, its coverage by The Washington Post, Motherboard, and Slate and the widespread sharing of BSDMS memes indicates that the group has significance beyond mere amusement. Noam Gal, Limor Shifman, and Zohar Kampf (2016) argue that memes can provide means for negotiating cultural norms (1700); although memes often reflect social norms and attitudes, they can also convey the creator's/sharer's response.
Stephanie Vie (2014) argues that memes "can have significant impacts in off-line behaviors." The use of memes in recent political campaigns and movements attests to the power of these cultural artifacts in uniting individuals around a common cause. For instance, the American Occupy Wall Street movement was coordinated by the digital participation of "millions of ordinary people" (Shifman, 2014, p. 128), which then resulted in a massive demonstration. Notably, Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign also made use of memes. His campaign is considered the first "Web 2.0 campaign" in which users generated a massive number of politically-oriented memes and other digital content (Shifman, 2014, p. 120). The use of digital media helped motivate his supporters to contribute in myriad unexpected ways (Shifman, 2014, p. 122). Xavier Martinez-Rolan and Teresa Pineiro-Otero (2016) label Obama the "memecrat par excellence" (p. 147, their emphasis) due to his use of digital content for political communication. Thus, memes have already demonstrated their relevance in influencing political realities.
The potential of Web 2.0 technologies to facilitate grassroots participation and influence political and social realities represents an important field of inquiry for digital humanities. My research focuses on three specific BSDMS memes, each notable for receiving coverage in publications beyond the Facebook platform on which they were shared. My analysis of the "I'm Not Kidding, Maddie," "Bernie or Hillary," and "Bernie Would Have Won" memes revealed that each meme levies a specific argument about then-Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party, or Senator Bernie Sanders. The creators' manipulation and dissemination of memes intended to support Sanders' campaign constitute grassroots activism and reveal the potential for digital media to influence events in offline culture.
Bernie Sanders' Dank Memes: Digital Humanities and Political Activism
CB1-307
Memes have played an increasing role in political rhetoric, providing an opportunity for digital humanities analysis. In 2016, Bernie Sanders campaigned for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. His campaign was notable for many reasons, not least among them his reliance on grassroots support and funding. While most candidates' super PACs fund advertisements, travel, and events, Bernie Sanders received his funding from his supporters at an average of $27 per donation. Sanders' call for grassroots support also manifested in unexpected ways, such as the production and dissemination of pro-Bernie Sanders memes, particularly those posted by members of the Facebook group Bernie Sanders' Dank Meme Stash (BSDMS).
Some criticize social media-based activism as ineffective and, specifically, argue that the memes produced and shared by BSDMS have no message other than that Bernie is "cool" (Dewey, 2016). However, the large number of group members (460,000 members as of March 3, 2017) of BSDMS, its coverage by The Washington Post, Motherboard, and Slate and the widespread sharing of BSDMS memes indicates that the group has significance beyond mere amusement. Noam Gal, Limor Shifman, and Zohar Kampf (2016) argue that memes can provide means for negotiating cultural norms (1700); although memes often reflect social norms and attitudes, they can also convey the creator's/sharer's response.
Stephanie Vie (2014) argues that memes "can have significant impacts in off-line behaviors." The use of memes in recent political campaigns and movements attests to the power of these cultural artifacts in uniting individuals around a common cause. For instance, the American Occupy Wall Street movement was coordinated by the digital participation of "millions of ordinary people" (Shifman, 2014, p. 128), which then resulted in a massive demonstration. Notably, Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign also made use of memes. His campaign is considered the first "Web 2.0 campaign" in which users generated a massive number of politically-oriented memes and other digital content (Shifman, 2014, p. 120). The use of digital media helped motivate his supporters to contribute in myriad unexpected ways (Shifman, 2014, p. 122). Xavier Martinez-Rolan and Teresa Pineiro-Otero (2016) label Obama the "memecrat par excellence" (p. 147, their emphasis) due to his use of digital content for political communication. Thus, memes have already demonstrated their relevance in influencing political realities.
The potential of Web 2.0 technologies to facilitate grassroots participation and influence political and social realities represents an important field of inquiry for digital humanities. My research focuses on three specific BSDMS memes, each notable for receiving coverage in publications beyond the Facebook platform on which they were shared. My analysis of the "I'm Not Kidding, Maddie," "Bernie or Hillary," and "Bernie Would Have Won" memes revealed that each meme levies a specific argument about then-Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party, or Senator Bernie Sanders. The creators' manipulation and dissemination of memes intended to support Sanders' campaign constitute grassroots activism and reveal the potential for digital media to influence events in offline culture.
