“It Gets Better”: Internet memes and the construction of collective identity
Abstract
In September 2010, a video titled “It Gets Better” was uploaded to YouTube, responding to suicides of gay teens who had suffered from homophobic bullying. Before long, thousands of Internet users added their own versions of the clip, creating a mass appeal to young people while simultaneously negotiating the norms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) collective identity. Conceptualizing this body of videos as an Internet meme, we examine the extent to which participants imitate or alter textual components presented in previous videos. A combined quantitative and qualitative analysis of 200 clips shows that in an arena ostensibly free of formal gatekeepers, participants tend to police themselves, toeing the line with conformist norms. We also identify domains of potential subversion, related not only to the content of the videos but mainly to the forms facilitated by digital media.
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Biographies
Noam Gal is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Communication, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her research interests are new media, collective identity, queer studies, and humor.
Limor Shifman is an Associate Professor at the Department of Communication, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her main research interests are popular culture, new media, the social construction of humor, and Internet memes.
Zohar Kampf is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Communication and Journalism, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research interest lies in the linkage among language, media, and politics. He has published articles in communication, media, and discourse studies journals, and two books on media practices in times of conflict.
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Article first published online: July 9, 2016
Issue published: September 2016
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