Blog #3

The first articulation, about the message, means, and agents of media, can be applied to Martin Luther’s 95 Theses:

1) The content of 95 theses are religious content.

2) The material form of the medium that carries this particular message is paper – in script form.

3) The agents involved in the production, distribution, and consumption of Luther’s 95 thesis are scattered all over Europe – individual readers, printers, merchants, and Martin Luther himself.

“Pepe the Frog” is an example of a media text that is very different from Luther’s 95 Theses. Despite the differences, we can also apply the first articulation to “Pepe the Frog” in context of Donald Trump’s 2016 Presidential campaign:

1) The meme carries many different messages, depending on where how it’s image is appropriated on the Internet. For example, one article from the Huffington Post describes Pepe as “chilled-out stoner”, “laid back” and “ambitious”. Another article from The New York Times says Pepe the Frog is used as a hate symbol and is associated with anti-Semitic connotations. Additionally, Pepe has been associated with the recent presidential election. “Pepe serves as a social media dog whistle for Trump followers to echo their implicit support of ultraconservative beliefs in public forums without risking the invitation of backlash” (The Times New York, 2016). Overall, Pepe the frog is used as a political endorsements that supports pro-Trump communities.

2) The material form of Pepe the Frog is based on digital coding and Internet infrastructure. Pepe the Frog is purely an Internet sensation – only made possible with the help of a special kind of coding.

3) Lastly, the agents of production, distribution, and consumption of Pepe the Frog are so many people – Internet users, bloggers, Donald Trump, political activists, Trump supporters, individuals, anonymous users, online newspaper publishers etc.