Martin Luther Theses: Pepe the Frog

Throughout Martin Luther 95 theses, he had the aim of creating a community, a mode of affect, and a mode of communication, which would bind a new religious community together based on a particular theology (November 7th, 2016). The content of Luther media practices was religious in nature, but it acted as a starting point for creating the social and digital media forums we have now. Luther was the first to use media ecology for print. He wrote texts, creating a system where publishers who own the printing press, hand off their work to tradesmen who carry the texts made by the printing press, and sellers who distribute the texts (November 7th, 2016). Luther message became viral within his 95 theses, through the people continually circulating his message. Based on this factor, Luther theses can be correlated to the third articulation, concerning “how media artifacts and messages are brought into being and spread through a culture, community, or society”. Messages, such as Luther’s can be written, circulated, communicated, which is what we are seeing in a lot of social media platforms, particularly memes.

        One particular meme, correlating to this idea is the Pepe the frog meme that became increasingly viral during the US election. Pepe the frog is a character from the comic series Boys club. The symbol of Pepe already existed on the Internet for years, but it wasn’t until the election that it became a viral phenomenon. It was due to the Donald Trump Campaign, which turned this meme into a viral political meme, surrounded by negative implications. When trump tweeted the character of Pepe the frog it gained increasing popularity, particularly due to the ongoing attention he was receiving in the media. The meme became a symbol of social outcasts, which is what Trump supporters were made up of. This goes to show how memes have become a social and communal activity within a particular society. They have the capability of creating a sense of community for anyone to develop, and display their creativity, empathize with others, and find connection, communication and communion. It is a place of shared beliefs and values, which is a huge factor in its increasingly popularity. Trump supporters saw it as a way to get a message across and voice their opinion to the public, which in turn created a sense of community. Thus, memes are being continually created for people to develop and distribute messages out to people, just as Luther's 95 theses had a similar goal of getting his voice heard and having his message distributed to the public.

Standage, Tom. Writing on the Wall: Social Media -- the First 2,000 Years. New York, NY: Bloomsbury, 2013. Print.