Martin Luther's 95 Theses and "Pepe The Frog" Spread Through Culture, Community and Society

The internet as we all know is somewhat of a double edged sword. It is positive in the fact that is allows users to quickly find information, communicate with friends, conduct business meetings, participate in social media, and of course share and comment on images circulating the web. The circulation of information and images however, is an example of this double edge sword. Once something is online there is no way of retrieving it, it is on there forever. For this week's blog post we are talking about media ecology and how it" is an assemblage of media forms and communicative practices which creates a specific media environment". The two texts to discuss this week include Martin Luther's 95 theses, and the "Pepe the Frog" meme in the context of Donald Trumps 2016 Presidential campaign. I will be examining both media texts through the third articulation which "concerns how media artifacts and messages are brought into being and spread through a culture, community, or society, and is manifested in the spatio-temporal dynamics of relations of creativity and production, relations of distribution and circulation, and relations of consumption and reception".

When looking at Martin Luther's messages it is clear that they caused an immediate stir. Copies of his messages began to circulate in manuscript form. The "Ninety-Five Theses" spread with astonishing speed throughout the German-speaking lands as the list was copied and republished by printers in different towns" (Standage, 53). Like many things on the internet there was such a rapid and spontaneous distribution of Luther's printed work. They became viral within the blink of an eye. Luther lost control of his messages just as rapidly as they became viral. Sometimes when information is put out there, it takes on a mind of its own. Luther did not plan to split the Christian church, but that was the ultimate effect of the campaign he had started. The use of  written culture is important to understand here. Without the use of a printer, Luther's messages would not have spread so far and vast. He was smart in  creating a pamphlet switching to direct German to reach a wider audience. It" demonstrated Luther's skill in exploiting the media environment of his day" (Standage, 53). This is like the internet in today's day in age. If a person wants to reach a large audience lets say to spread awareness about an issue, or an event, they usually turn to the internet. Why you may ask? The internet has allowed for information to be spread quickly and to different kinds of people all over the globe. Luther without knowing it, brought about a sense of power through production and circulation by deciding which messages to amplify through sharing , recommendation and copying. The more people shared his message, the stronger the message became and the more people it reached. That is a product of the community he lived which shows just how people consumed and received.

 information. 

The second media text that is important to look at is the meme of "Pepe the Frog". The symbol of Pepe already existed on the internet for years before it became a viral sensation. Donald Trump 's campaign however, turned the meme into a political meme with negative connotations surrounding it. When Trump re tweeted a version of the character, it led to a mass influx or pro-Trump Pepes (Williams 2016). Because of Trumps status and popularity whether it is good or bad, the meme took on a life of its own, what some may call a snowball effect. It was a way for Trump supporters to band with him and enabled them to find connection, communication and communion with him. The meme began to take on negative connotations representing social outcasts that Trump supporters gained power off of. Trump has been openly antagonist about certain issues, and the meme allowed him to "take his message straight to the people" (Williams, 2016).The internet reaches such a large audience that the meme circulated all over the globe. It just goes to show what can happen when certain information or images become so popular due to the audience it reached. As I mentioned above memes often create a sense of community with "Shared beliefs" which is why I think this meme became so popular. Trump supporters saw it as a way to voice their beliefs on a public forum without risking the invitation of backlash they may have gotten elsewhere. Seeing that the meme resonated with a large group of people, makes these individuals believe it is okay to both support, share, and recreate it. 

References:

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.