Martin Luther’s 95 theses and the rise
of Pepe the Frog in Donald Trump’s 2016 Presidential Campaign, they both
exemplify strong notions of different media ecologies. I will demonstrating the
ways in which media communication has been achieved in both of these instances
through the mode of production becoming a mode of communication in itself. Even
though the protestant reformation was in the 16th century and the
way in which the operation of the system of understanding operates, modes of
production still give an audience a sense of meaning and social practices
(Herman 2016).
The success of Luther’s 95 theses was a direct result of the technology
of the printing press because, without this mode of production the reformation that
changed the way people think and understood not only religion but also law and
order. The printing press and Luther reviled the way in which a decentralized,
person to person system of distribution was taken care of by citizens
themselves (Standage 53). Having information that could be found in stores and
villages all over was a key to unlocking how information could overcome special
bias. These pamphlets that took allowed information to be freely discussed
between people, which is a mode of accumulation because this discussion
promoted literacy in others. This is the most important thing that Luther did,
having a medium that reinforced the mode of communication in its production (Standage
55).
The ethno-nationalist meme of Pepe the frog, in relation to the president
elect Donald Trump is an example of a popular symbol and used it to spread
hate. The meme of Pepe the frog has since been added to the list of hate
symbols by the Anti-defamation League (Williams 2016). Basically Pepe was used
by white supremacist Trump supporters to spread propaganda. Images that support
trumps presidency and ideals like the wall, are surfacing with Pepe having
trumps unmistakable hair. This image of trump is an image of the mode of affect
that allows the people who support trump and others to see the meaning and
emotion that are all present in a meme. The production of this meme itself is
enough to reinforce communication within the support for trump, just like the swastika
and confederate flag. The mode of their production is at the same time communication
as a political calling card.
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| Blonde hair, blue eyes. Seems familiar. |
Works Cited
Herman, A. (2016, November 1). CS371. Waterloo:
Wilfrid Laurier University.
Standage, T. (2013). Writing on
the wall: Social media -- the first 2,000 years. New York: Bloomsbury.
Williams, A. (2016). How Pepe the Frog and Nasty Woman Are Shaping the
Election. The New York Times.
I really enjoyed your post! Your point about propaganda resonated with me. I was aware that the Pepe the Frog meme had become infamous, especially in relation to Donald Trump's election campaign. However, I did not think of its wide spread in terms of propaganda. I completely agree that the Trump supporter created variations of the Pepe the Frog meme with the famous blonde toupe in order to spread the barbaric and crude platforms from Trump's campaign. You're right saying this is a modern day form of propaganda that goes unnoticed by the general public because we have become numb to the affect the internet has on us and our emotions.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Stuart. I really liked how you spoke about the ethnonationalist meme of "Pepe the Frog". In regards to the president elect Donald Trump and using him as example of a popular symbol. Used to spread hate, I thought it was really interesting how you brought up the point that this meme can now be considered and has been added to list of hate symbols by the Anti-defamation League according to Williams (2016). I understood that it had strong political influence but I didn't fully understand the depth of what it held. In being used by white supremacist Trump supporters. Do you think these images were a large part as to why he won? In the sense of how this community created by the circulation of the meme could not be brought together without the use of the internet. So it more specifics, do you think Donald Trump could have won an election from a different time period without internet?
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