The Memes

Marshall McLuhan was Canadian philosopher who studied the impact of media and is considered an early scholar of popular culture. He is famous for remarking that “the medium is the message.†Writing when mass media was maturing and changing culture, McLuhan astutely recognized that advertising and communication could both reflect and change the way societies thought of themselves. So what would McLuhan think of internet memes? It’s impossible to say for certain because he died in 1979. But I suspect he would be fascinated by the way memes seem to communicate at a subconscious level. Memes use visual images, often with text or captions, to encapsulate a zeitgeist. More poetry than prose. Savvy political consultants and activists have discovered that memes can transmit a great deal of information without the use of obvious signifiers. The role of memes in politics is evolving, and quickly, and it will be fascinating to see how memes play a role in the 2024 election cycle. Which parties or movements can most effectively harness the emotive power of symbols? It’s hard to say, but my guess is that overly “intellectual†political movements or parties will have a harder time developing effective memes. Memes speak to the collective heart, not the collective mind.