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First Monday,Volume 19, Number 4 - 7 April 2014

ThispaperexaminestheHumanRightsCampaign(HRC)MarriageEqualitylogoasanexampleofameme
tofurtherunderstandingsofmemetictransmissioninsocialmediatechnologies.TheHRCmemeisan
importantexampleofhowevenseeminglyinsignificantmovessuchasadoptingalogoanddisplayingit
onlinecanservetocombatmicroaggressions,orthedamagingresultsofeverydaybiasanddiscrimination
againstmarginalizedgroups.Thisarticlesuggeststhatevensmallmovesofsupport,suchaschanging
onesFacebookstatustoamemeticimage,assistbydemonstratingasupportiveenvironmentforthose
whoidentifywithmarginalizedgroupsandbydrawingawarenesstoimportantcauses.Oftendismissedas
slacktivism,Iargueinsteadthatthedigitalactivismmadepossiblethroughsocialmediamemescan
buildawarenessofcrucialissues,whichcanthenleadtoaction.

Contents

Introduction
Theoreticalbackgroundofmemetictheory
TheHumanRightsCampaignlogomeme
Criticalassessmentinreplicatingmemes
Conclusion

Introduction

Inearly2013,somethinginterestinghappenedonthesocialnetworkingsiteFacebookforashortspanof
timeinMarch,manyusersadoptedtheexactsameprofilepicture(thesmallimagethatrepresentsthat
usertotherestoftheFacebookpopulation).AnactiveFacebookuserinMarch2013mighthavelogged
ontoseehisorhertimelineovertakenbysmallredsquares,manywithanequalsigninside[1].This
smallredimagewasamodifiedlogofortheHumanRightsCampaign,orHRC,torepresentmarriage
equality.Figure1showstheHRCsinitialFacebookposton25March2013,whichencouragedusersto
adopttheimageastheirprofilepicture.

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Figure1:TheHumanRightsCampaignsMarch2013Facebookpost.

TheHRCdescribesitselfasthelargestcivilrightsorganizationworkingtoachieveequalityforlesbian,
gay,bisexualandtransgenderAmericans....Foundedin1980,HRCadvocatesonbehalfofLGBT
Americans,mobilizesgrassrootsactionsindiversecommunities,investsstrategicallytoelectfairminded
individualstoofficeandeducatesthepublicaboutLGBTissues(HumanRightsCampaign,AboutUs,
2013).Thesimplesymbolhadbeenlikedover25,000timesandshared78,000timesinthefirst24hours
ofitstransmissionalone(Yang,2013).TheeaseofspreadinginformationinasitelikeFacebookmadethe
HRClogowildlypopular,particularlyintheUnitedStates,forabriefperiodoftime.AstheHRClogo
spread,variantsappearedthatplayedonthethemeofaredsquarewithtwoobjectsinside.These
remixesmutationsoftheoriginallogoweresharedalongsidetheoriginalHRClogoandbecamepart
ofthephenomenon.

Thetransmission,replication,andmutationofthemodifiedHRClogoinMarchcallsupintriguing
questionsabouttheroleofidentificationwithInternetmemesdisseminatedinonlinesocialnetworking
technologies.Whilemanyadopted,andlateradapted,theHRClogofortheirFacebookprofiles,others
critiquedthecampaignand,byextension,userswhochangedtheirpicturestothemodifiedlogo.The
transmissionofthislogohighlightedvariablereasonswhyindividualsmighthaveadoptedthelogo.While
manymayhavepostedittoshowsupportforgaymarriageequality,othersmayhaveplaceditintheir
profiletofollowthecrowdmanyotherfriendsweredoingit,sotheyjoinedin.Adoptionofthelogo
thereforemaynotnecessarilyhaveindicatedthattheFacebookprofileownerfeltstronglyabout
supportinggayrightsequality.Infact,somestaunchsupportersofgayrightsequalityrefusedtoadopt
theHRClogobecauseoftheirconcernsregardingtheHRCspasttreatmentoftransgenderedindividuals
(agnesgalore,2013Clifton,2013Comer,2013).Finally,remixingoradaptingofthelogoagainvariedin
intent.Manyremixeswerecreatedtoshowsupportforgaymarriagerights,butothersmaysimplyhave
servedtoshowcasetheremixersimagemanipulationskillsorsenseofhumor.Astheimagespread
furtherstill,manyoftheremixedimagespotentiallylosttheoriginalmessageofgaymarriagesupport
andcouldhaveappearedtoreadersasadvertisementsforproductsorcompanies.Theseimages,while
ostensiblystillcreatedinsupportofgaymarriagerights,showedlittlefidelitytothatoriginalmessage.

Inearly2014,thenumberofFacebookuserswhostillhavetheHRClogooravariantastheirprofile
pictureismuchlowerthanatitspeakinMarch2013.Despiteitslackoflongevity(which,inanycase,
seemstoaffectmostInternetmemes),theHRClogomemewassuccessfulasitwassufficientlystrong
andsalienttocaptureonlineandofflinebroadcastmediaattention[2].Indeed,asthememespread,
majornewsoutletslikeABCNews,Time,ScientificAmerican,NewYorker,WashingtonPost,andAtlantic
alltooknote,whilemultipleelectedofficials,suchasgovernorsandstateSenators,changedtheirprofile
picturesalongsidecelebritieslikeGeorgeTakei,whoseFacebookprofilepostaboutmarriageequalityon
March25receivednearly13,000shares.Alongwithgatheringmediaattention,thelogoreached
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individualsinterestedinlearningmoreabouttheHRCanditsmission,moreevidenceofitssuccess.
Overall,theHRClogoappearedover18milliontimesinFacebooksNewsFeed,andtheHRCsnine
separateFacebookpostsoverafivedayspaninMarch2013garneredmorethan50millionimpressions,
whichresultedinrecordtraffictotheHRCsWebsite,HRC.org(HumanRightsCampaign,Marriageatthe
U.S.SupremeCourt,2013).

Inthispaper,IexaminetheHumanRightsCampaignMarriageEqualitylogoasanexampleofamemein
ordertofurtherunderstandingsofmemetictransmissioninsocialmediatechnologies.WhiletheHRClogo
isanexcellentillustrationofthepowerofmemeticreplicationinreachingbroadaudiences,manyother
Internetmemesthatarenotassociatedwithnoteworthycausescanalsobedeemedsuccessfulgiven
KnobelandLankshears(2007)definitionofstrengthandsalience.Thus,theHRClogoisnotsimplyan
exampleofasuccessfulmeme.Instead,thismemeisparticularlynoteworthybecauseitillustratesthe
roleofidentificationparticularlygrouporcommunalidentificationinreplicatingmemes.Aswell,the
spreadofthememewithinalargerculturalecologyshowcasestheroleofkairosincapturingan
audiencesattention.Finally,theHumanRightsCampaignlogoisanimportantexampleofhoweven
seeminglyinsignificantmovessuchasadoptingorremixingalogoanddisplayingitonlinecanserveto
combatmicroaggressions,orthedamagingresultsofeverydaybiasanddiscriminationagainst
marginalizedgroups(Sue,2010).Whilesuchmoveshavebeendismissedbysomeasslacktivism,I
argueinsteadthatthespreadofmemesisanopportunityfordigitalactivism,orinstancesofsocialand
politicalchangemadepossiblethroughdigitalnetworks[3].Memesrelatedtocauses,liketheHRClogo,
helpdrawattentiontosocietalissuesandproblemsandcanresultinincreasedfeelingsofsupportfor
marginalizedgroups.

Theoreticalbackgroundofmemetictheory

Inhis1976bookTheSelfishGene,RichardDawkinsfirstintroducedthetermmemeusingthe
Darwinianmodelofnaturalselection,Dawkins(2006)arguedthatmemeswereanewformofreplicators,
thingslikesongs,processes,catchphrases,andsoonthatpropagateinthememepoolbyleapingfrom
braintobrainviaaprocesswhich,inthebroadsense,canbecalledimitation[4].Muchlikegenes,
memescouldreplicate,undergonaturalselection,andevolve.Memes,alsolikegenes,hadanelementof
selfishnessintheirreplication,spreadingindiscriminatelywithoutconsideringtheirusefulnessorpotential
harmtotheirhosts(Blackmore,1999).Dawkins(2006)embeddedhisstudyofmemeswithinacultural
framework,attemptingtoanswerwhathesawastheformidablechallengeofexplainingculture,cultural
evolution,andtheimmensedifferencesbetweenhumanculturesaroundtheworld[5].Memesoperate
withinculturesandareresponsestothedesires,interests,andneedsofthespecifichostculturewithin
whichtheyemergeandspread.Successfulmemesareattunedtothesocialandculturalspecificsoftheir
audiencetheyplayonfamiliarvisualortextualconceptsorrelyonculturallyrelevantsongs,jokes,or
sayings.

Thusamemecanbeconsideredaunitofinformationabletoinfectahostwhothenassiststhememein
itsreplication,whatDawkins(2006)describedasaliteralparasitizationofthebrain.Theymusthave
copyingfidelity,variability,andlongevityinordertobesuccessful(Dawkins,2006).Copyingfidelity
meansthatmemesmustbeasclosetotheoriginalaspossibleinordertobesuccessful(andhere,
successequatestoreplication).However,unlikegenes,mutationinmemesisencouraged,whichis
variabilityamememustretainenoughofitsoriginalformorideastoberecognizable,butitscontinued
transmissiondependsonitschangingtomeetthehostsneeds.Finally,longevitysimplymeansthatthe
longeramemeistransmittedandvaried,themorepotentialithastoinfluenceothers.

Becauseoftheirreplicativenature,examiningindividualmemesisusefulforexaminingthespreadof
concepts,ideas,andthoughtprocesses.Forexample,memetictheoryhasbeenappliedtoconceptsas
variedasthespreadofurbanlegends(Vie,2005),Linuxcomputing(Kuwabara,2000),themessage
board4chan.org(Trammell,2014Knuttila,2011),Twitterhashtags(Yardi,etal.,2010),andremix
videosfocusingonhumanrightscampaigns(GregoryandLosh,2012).Notcoincidentally,theseexamples
areallconnectedinsomewaytocomputerizedenvironments,whichKuwabara(2000)pointsoutare
particularlywellsuitedformemeticreplicationashenotes,digitaltechnologieshavelowcostsassociated
withthereplicationofdigitaldataandhavehighspeeddatatransmissionrates,makingtheInterneta
breedinggroundfordigitalgoodsonline.Inparticular,socialnetworkingtechnologieslikeFacebookhave
beendesignedwithfeaturesthatmakememeticreplicationeasy(Shifman,2011).Postingimages,
sharingthemwithfriends,andcollectingFacebooklikesonimagesareallelementsthatcanleadtothe
rapidspreadofInternetmemes.IturnhereonceagaintothespecificexampleoftheHumanRights
Campaignmemetoillustratehowitoperatesasaparticularelementofindividualandgroupidentification
withinalargerkairoticculturalecology.

TheHumanRightsCampaignlogomeme

TheHumanRightsCampaignhasreliedonasimplelogoabluesquarefeaturingayellowequalsign
insidesince1995asanimmediatelyrecognizablesymbolrepresentingthelesbian,gay,bisexualand
transgender(LGBT)community.InMarch2013,tobringattentiontotheU.S.SupremeCourtcaseson
Proposition8andtheDefenseofMarriageAct(DOMA),theHRCmodifieditsfamouslogobysimply
changingitscolors.Figure2showstheoriginalHumanRightsCampaignlogototheleftofthemodified
redHRClogo.

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Figure2:Theoriginal(left)andmodified(right)HumanRightsCampaignlogos.

TheHumanRightsCampaignencouragedFacebookuserstopostthemodifiedredlogoastheirdefault
profilepictureon25March2013,onedaypriortotheU.S.SupremeCourtsbeginningdeliberationson
Proposition8,Californiassamesexmarriageban.Within24hours,almostthreemillionpeoplehad
replacedtheirFacebookprofilepictureswiththislogo,anincreaseof120percentintheusualnumberof
profilepicturemodifications(Bakshy,2013).

AstheHRClogospread,itwasalsoremixedcountlessvariationsonthethemeemergedonFacebook.
ManycarriedontheoriginalthematicintentoftheHRClogoforexample,severalvariantsdepicted
imagesrelevanttoLGBTissuesorimagesthatshowedgayandlesbiancouples(somereal,others
fictional).Figure3showssomeoftheseexamples,suchastheStatueofLibertykissingJusticePeanuts
charactersPeppermintPattyandMarcieandSesameStreetcharactersBertandErnie[6].Theseimages
highlightthefidelityoftheoriginalmemethecolors,overallshapeandlayout,andconnectionstothe
themeofequalmarriage/LGBTissuesremainintact.

Figure3:VariantmemesretainingLGBTfocus.

Eventhoughthesememesareclearlyvariants,bothvariabilityandcopyingfidelityarebalancedinthis
way,theHRClogomemewaslikelymoresuccessfulthanithadbeenifithadsimplystayedexactlythe
samethroughoutitstransmission.PartofthatsuccessisdrivenbytheclearreplicationoftheHRClogo
(theredcolorandtheequalsignsremainintactinthethreeexamplesabove)withtheinclusionof
popularcultureexamplesexamplesthatarelikelytoappealtotheaudiencebecauseoftheir
familiarity.

Memesthatrelyonfamiliarelements(popularsongs,cartooncharacters,literarytropes,andsoon)
succeedbecausethesefamiliarelementsallowforbothindividualinterestaswellasgroupidentification.
Groupidentificationisanecessaryaspectofthespreadofmemes,particularlythroughvarianceas
Milner(2012)noted,transformation[ofmemes]requiresanunderstandingofrepresentational

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conventionsassociatedwithspecificgroupsorindividuals[7].Similarly,Lewis(2012)hasarguedthat
participatorymemesdependonappealstogroupandevenglobalidentification[8].Thatis,unlessmemes
relyoncollectivesymbolsimmediatelyunderstoodbymembersofthesamespeechcommunity[9]they
arelikelytofail.TheculturalfamiliarityforAmericansofSesameStreetandPeanuts(atelevisionshow
andacomicstrip,respectively,thatmanyAmericanadultswouldrememberfromchildhood)allowed
thesevariantstoresonatewithviewers.Similarly,theiconicfigureoftheStatueofLibertyisimmediately
recognizableformostAmericans.Eachimagenotonlyisvisuallymemorablebutalsorepresents
particularvalues:theStatueofLiberty,forinstance,ismorethanjustastatuebutstandsinfor
patriotism,freedom,immigration,andAmericanness.ThesuccessfulvariantsoftheHRCmemethatused
variousiconicfiguresreliedonthedeepmeaningsembeddedwithinaspecificculturetosurviveand
thrive.

Othervariantsontheoriginalimage,however,movedfarpasttheintentoftheHRClogo,withitssupport
forequalmarriagerightsandexplicitconnectionstotheLGBTcommunity.Thesevariantssuccessfully
capitalizedonthekairoticmomentoftransmission:Therhetoricalconceptofkairos,ortimeliness,refers
toamomentintimethatisjustrightforcommunicationtohappen.Inthekairoticmoment,thetimeis
right,theaudiencereceptive,andthecommunicatorready.Kairosispartofaculturalecologythat
encompassesrhetoricalcircumstancesandexigencies,whichincludetheorientationsofbothspeakerand
listeners,themoment,theplace,andsoforth[10].Similarly,Smith(2002)definedkairosasatimeof
tension,conflict,andcrisisaproblemhasbeenposedthatdemandsaspecificsolutionbutthisproblem
alsobringswithitopportunitiesforaccomplishingthingswhichcouldnotbeachievedatanothertime
[11].BothSipioraandSmithsdefinitionsillustratethatkairosiscomplex:Toachievesuccesswithina
kairoticmoment,communicatorsmustreactpromptlyandaccordinglyinresponsetotheaudiences
needs.ThevariantsoftheHRClogowerekairoticinthatthespreadoftheoriginallogowaswideenough
thatotherimageswithredbackgroundsandobjectscontainedinthatredsquarewouldbelikelytomake
sensetoviewers.Aswell,theHRClogomemeswerekairoticinthattheyrespondedtoalargerexigence:
thetensionsandconflictregardinggaymarriagerightsintheUnitedStatesthathadculminatedinthe
SupremeCourtsdecisionontheDefenseofMarriageAct.

Whilekairotic,thesevariantsdidnotalwaysretainenoughcopyingfidelitytobeconsidereda
transmissionoftheoriginalmeme.

Figure4:VariantmemesnotretainingLGBTfocus.

AgreatnumberofFacebookusersweretransmittingthesekindsofimagesthroughtheirprofilepictures,
buttheimagesdidnotreliablyretaintheinformationembeddedintheoriginal.Inotherwords,ifaviewer
didnotknowanimagewithtwoobjectsonaredsquarebackgroundhadoriginallybeenintendedtoshow
supportformarriageequality,manyoftheimagesshowninFigure4wouldnotnecessarilyhavetipped
thatvieweroff.

MarthaStewartLivingmagazinesdelicioussliceofcake,thoughappealing,wouldsimplylooklikeafancy
dessertonalovelyplatewhentakenoutofthecontextofthememebeingtransmitted.The
accompanyingwrittentextstatingequalityissweetwasthestrongestsignaltoviewersthatthisimage
wasindeedavariantoftheHRClogo.ThesecondimageinthecollagereferencesthepunkbandBlack
Flagtheorientationofthefourbarsmimicsthebandslogo.TheMaybellineimage,whilefollowingthe
redcolorscheme,hascompletelychangedtheorientationofthelipsticksbesidesmovingsignificantly
awayfromtheoriginallayoutoftheHRClogo,theMaybellineimagelooksmorelikeanadvertisementfor
anewlineofcosmeticsthananimageinsupportofmarriageequality,highlightedbythefactthatthe
imagewasaccompaniedonlybythephraseMakeaboldstatementinred.Theseimagesillustratea
tippingpointwherethememehad,forsomeaudiences,movedawayfromafocusonmarriageequalityor
LGBTissuesandsimplyusedthecolorredandasquareshape.

Atthispoint,thememewasnolongertransmittingtheoriginalmessageclearlycopyingfidelityhadbeen
subsumedbyvariability,particularlyinthelattertwoexamplesfromBlackFlagandMaybelline.However,
insomecases,thesevariantswithreducedcopyingfidelitymaystillhavehadaneffectonthespreadof
theoriginalmemebecausethevariantswerehostedbyinfluencersinthenetwork,individualswhohave
theabilitytoinfluencelargenumbersofpeoplebecausetheyhavedesirableattributessuchashighlevels
ofcredibility,expertise,enthusiasm,orconnectivity(Bakshy,etal.,2011).Intheexamplesabove,
MarthaStewart,forinstance,couldbeperceivedasaninfluencergivenherstatusasapublicfigurewith
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over800,000likesonFacebookher25March2013FacebookpostwiththemodifiedHRCcakelogo
receivedover16,000likes,18,000shares,andover850commentsonthepicture[12],manyresponding
favorablytotheimage(suchasonecommentstatingIofficiallyhavemorerespectforyou....Ive
alwayshadrespectfor[MarthaStewart],itjustgrewevenmore).MarthaStewartsbrandthusincreased
itscredibilityamongviewerswhoalsosupportedgaymarriagerightswhentheysawhermodifiedHRC
logoFacebookpost.

Thesevariantexamplesillustratecorporationsinterestsincapitalizingonthekairoticmoment
surroundinggaymarriagerights.ThepopularityofInternetmemeshasspurredmanycorporationstoco
optpopularculturalmessagestosellproductssee,forexample,SpikeTVsuseofthe2005Internet
memeLeeroyJenkinsinits2006seriesofcommercialsLeeroyLive.Interestingly,theLeeroyJenkins
memestillcirculatesin2014,makingitparticularlylonglived.WithregardtotheHRClogo,multiple
retailerscreatedtheirownvariantsoftheHRClogothatpurportedlyshowedsupportforgaymarriage
rightsbutedgedclosetoseemingsimplylikeadvertisements:MensclothingretailerBonoboscreatedan
HRCmemefeaturingitskhakipantsBudLightslogousedtwobeercansandhotelierKimptonHotels&
RestaurantscreatedanHRClogowithtwopillowsandthetaglineWerecomfortablewithequality.

Figure5:Variantmemesfromretailersthatedgeclosetoadvertisements.

Theseexamplespointoutthecomplicatedrolecorporateidentificationtakesonwithregardtomemetic
transmission.AcompanylikeKimptonHotels&Restaurantsoneofthefewtoscoreaperfect100/100
ontheHumanRightsCampaignsCorporateEqualityIndex(whichassessescorporatepoliciesand
practicesrelevanttoLGBTemployees)hasvaluesthatovertlyalignwiththeHRClogoandwhatit
represents[13].Similarly,AnheuserBusch(makersofBudLight)hasbeenboycottedforitssupportof
LGBTcausesinthepast[14].Bonobos,however,hasostensiblyshownnosignificantsupportforLGBT
issuesdespiteitswillingnesstocreateamodifiedHRClogothisadoptionmaybeseenascause
marketing,marketingthatdemonstratesthecompanysinterestinsocialresponsibilityandgivingback
(SmithandAlcorn,1991).Theappropriationofculturalmemesforcapitalismbycorporateentitiesisa
fruitfulareaforfutureresearchinmemestudiesgiventhatresearchsuggestsovertwothirdsofglobal
consumersprefertobuyfromcompaniesthataresociallyconsciousandgivebacktosocietyinsomeway
[15].

TheeaseofreplicatingtheHRClogomemeonFacebookshowcasesacriticalaspectofreplicatedmemes
withregardtotheintersectionofgroupidentificationandkairos.Thatis,manyindividualswhochanged
theirFacebookprofilepicturetotheredlogodidsobecauseofthekairotictiming.Aswell,usingthis
imageasaprofilepicturecouldindicatetoviewerstheuserssupportofgaymarriage,allowing
likemindedindividualstovisuallyassessthoseontheirside.Herewasaneasytomakechangethat
ostensiblyillustratedtheowneroftheprofileshowingsupportformarriageequalitybypostingtheHRC
logooroneofitsvariantsorbyclickinglikeorcommentingpositivelyonanHRClogo,auserwasable
toshowhisorheralignmentwithacommunalidentityinsupportofgaymarriagerights.Otherindividuals
createdimagesthatfoughtagainstthemessageofequalityandsupportedProposition8andthebanon
gaymarriagetheseallowedforadifferentkindofgroupidentificationforFacebookusers,onethat
registeredoppositiontothecause.AstheHumanRightsCampaignMarriageEqualitylogowasquickly
transmitted,theseantiequalityvariantsweresharedaswell.Forexample,theArchdioceseofSan
Franciscopostedaredplussignwiththehashtags#GodIsLove#traditionalmarriage#trcot[16].

WhiletheHRClogomemewasshortlived,itsspreadwassubstantial.TheHumanRightsCampaignlogo
wasasignificantelementinthelargeroverallkairoticmomentthatledtotheSupremeCourtsdismissal
ofProposition8inCalifornia.WhentheHRCreleasedastatementofaccomplishmentsin2013,they
notedthatoneoftheirprioritieswastohighlighttheHRCasmajorleadersinthisfightandthatthey
accomplishedthisthroughthemodifiedlogo:

OnTuesday,March26th...morethan700,000uniquevisitors
cametoourwebsiteina24hourperiod.86%ofsitevisitors
werenew.Inlessthan48hours,morethan100,000people
signedontoHRCsMajorityOpinionpetition....Thepetition
wassharedover30,000times,andwerecruitedmorethan
67,000newsupporterstoreceiveemailupdatesaboutour
work.(HumanRightsCampaign,MarriageattheU.S.
SupremeCourt,2013).

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ThememeticsuccessoftheHRClogoanditsvariantsisagainintriguingnotsimplybecauseofthe
rapidityofitsspread,butbecauseofwhatitsuggestsabouttherolesofkairosandcollectiveidentification
insocialmediatechnologies.Thetransmissionofthelogodemonstratethattimelinessiskeywhen
choosingwhethertoadoptacirculatingInternetmeme,butidentification(andparticularlygroupor
communalidentification)isequallyimportant.Italsopointsoutfutureresearchontheroleofcause
marketingwithregardtocorporateappropriationofmemes.

Criticalassessmentinreplicatingmemes

Asthissectionwillillustrate,thechoiceofwhetherornottoadoptsomethingliketheHRClogocaninfact
beacomplexdecisionthatinvolvespersonalidentityaswellasgroupaffiliation.Itinvolvesreadingeven
asimpleInternetmemeasatextwithembeddedandmultiplemeanings,dependingontheaudiences
understandingsofandreactionstothetext.Italsoinvolvesseeingamemeasamomentwithinalarger
kairoticculturalecology.TheHRClogoisnoteworthybecauseitcallsintoquestionuserscritical
assessmentprocessesbeforealigningthemselveswithimagesinsupportofagrouporpoliticalcampaign.
Thisassessmentispartoftheprocessofidentificationintherhetoricalsense.Thatis,identification
becomesafocusofatexthere,anInternetmeme.Throughtheprocessofidentification,individuals
becomecloserandaligningroupswithcommoninterests:Membersofagrouppromotesocialcohesion
byactingrhetoricallyuponthemselvesandoneanother[17].Identificationcanalsobeameansof
uncoveringrhetoricalmotivesinatextthatmightotherwisegounrecognizedorunseen(Burke,1969).

Forexample,inthecaseoftheHRClogo,manypeoplewhopassedontheHRClogomaynothaveviewed
itasamemewithrhetoricalmotives.Thatis,theymayhavesimplyseenthelogoasaninterestingimage
toplaceintheirprofileforabriefperiodoftime,ratherthanintendingspecificallytopassonthemessage
oftheHRC.Thevariantsthatlackedcopyingfidelityinparticularmayhavenotimmediatelystruck
viewersaspassingonamessageofmarriageequality.OneindividualpostedonaFacebookthread
critiquingtheHRClogo,IdidnotknowwhenIusedthisiconthatitwasassociatedwithHRCI
apologize.Ireallylikedthesentimentbehindtheimagethough(GuerillaFeminism,2013)[18].
However,otherindividualsdidseetheadoptionoftheHRClogoasameansofsupportforgaymarriage,
marriageequality,andthedefeatofProposition8inCalifornia.Thoseindividualswhochosetoadoptthe
HRClogoanditsvariantsbecausetheybelievedittobeastrongmessageofsupportforgaymarriage
rightsmayhavedecidedtodosobecauseofgroupaffinitytheseindividualshadgayfriends,family
members,oracquaintancesandwantedtodosomethingtoshowsupportforthem.

Alternatively,somegayindividualsmayhaveadoptedtheHRClogoinashowofgroupaffiliationthe
image,forthem,wouldalignwiththeiridentity(gayandinsupportofequalmarriagerights)andtheir
decisiontoadopttheimagewasameansofsubstantiatingthatidentity.Asanothercommenter(who
identifiedasgenderqueer)onablogthreadcritiquingtheimagestated,Iadmit,Ihaveoneofthoselittle
redandpinkmarriageequalitybadges...IactuallydidntknowtheyoriginatedwiththeHRCIjust
happenedtoagreewiththesentimentandmodifiedoneformyownuse.NeitherdidIknowoftheHRCs
poorbehaviourwithelitistexclusionsofTransfolkandpeopleofcolour.Notcoolandverydisturbing
(TransGriot,2013).Thesereactionsdemonstratethevariousresponsestothesymbolnotalladopters
ofthelogowerefullyinformedoftheHRCsvaluesand,infact,somewereunawaretheimagewas
associatedwiththeHRCatall.

OthersactiveintheLGBTcommunityconsciouslyrejectedtheHRClogooverconcernsabout
representation:forthem,someoftheactionsmadebytheHRCinthepastleftthemwithafeelingof
misrepresentation.Thatis,LGBTindividualswhorejectedtheHRClogosometimesdidsobecausethey
felttheHumanRightsCampaignasawholehadmadeimproperchoicesinrepresentingissuesimportant
tothecommunity,particularlytransgenderindividuals(Mecca,2012).Forinstance,onecommenteron
theFacebookcritiqueoftheHRClogoarguedthatIwasallreadytosupporttheHRCuntilIdiscovered
howtheyhaveconsistentlyignored,silenced,andsubtlyattackedtrans*peopleandtrans*issues....
Thatsnotcool.Fightforallorfightfornone(GuerillaFeminism,2013).Stillothersarguedthatcritiques
oftheHRClogoaremorethansimplyragingagainsttheGayInc.machine.Scrutinizingmarriageasan
institutionandacknowledgingbroadercommunityissueswhilesupportingmarriageasanoptionforall
couplesarenotmutuallyexclusiveideasoractions(Clifton,2013).Variousblogposts,newsarticles,and
evenYouTubevideosspreadthatattemptedtoexplainthecomplicatedhistoryoftheHumanRights
Campaignwithregardtorepresentationofindividualsidentifyingastransgender,nonWhite,immigrant,
andothermarginalizedgroups.

WhatisevidentfromtherangeofreactionsisthatidentificationwithInternetmemesishighlycomplex.
OneproblemwithavisualrepresentationofacomplicatedsubjectliketheexampleoftheHRClogo
isthatnoonelogoisabletocapturethecomplexnatureofidentificationwiththeHumanRights
Campaignandwhatitstandsfor.Thustheroleofcriticalassessmentbecomesespeciallyimportantthat
is,individualsmustpossessthenecessaryskillstoresearchcausesandorganizationsthatattracttheir
attention.AcommentertotheGuerillaFeminismFacebookthreadurgeduserstoparticipateinthiskind
ofcriticalassessment:IalsothinkthatitisgoodpracticeforfolkstolookintoALLnonprofitsbefore
theygiveblanketsupportforanycausebecauseitsoundsgood....justlikeforprofitcorporations,we
shouldpayattentiontowherethemoneyiscomingfromandwhereitisgoing(GuerillaFeminism,
2013).

However,inthefaceofthespeedytransmissionofInternetmemes,takingthetimeouttocritically
assessanimageinthiswaymaybelessappealingthansimplypassingonthememe.AsShifman(2011)
notes,humanagencyshouldbeanintegralpartofourconceptualizationofmemesbydescribingthemas
dynamicentitiesthatspreadinresponsetotechnological,culturalandsocialchoicesmadebypeople
[19].Usersneedthetechnologicalliteraciesrequiredtoresearchtheoriginalintentofmemesandensure
thatcopyingfidelityisassuredwhenspreadingmemes(Kien,2013).YetInternetmemesarecreatedto

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catchonandbepassedonquicklywithoutbeinghinderedorslowedbymentalfilterssuchascritical
assessment(Bennahum,inLankshearandKnobel,2003).Atensionwilllikelyremainbetweentheswift
transmissionandrapidpeakofInternetmemesspreadingandthecarefulattentionrequiredtocritically
assesspoliticalcampaigns,companies,andcausesbeforesupportingthem.Thistensionwillhavenoeasy
remedy.

Conclusion

GiventhecomplexnatureofInternetmemesinsupportofcauses,somemightquestionwhetherthereis
thereanybenefittopassingthemon.ItmightseemasthoughthesmallexampleoftheHumanRights
Campaignlogoultimatelydoesntmakemuchofadifferenceintermsofactivismafterall,whatkindof
lastingeffectscanbefeltfromseeingsomeonechangetheirFacebookprofilepicturetoaparticularimage
forashorttime?ThislineofthinkingissimilartoMalcolmGladwells(2010)assertionsabouttheroleof
socialmediainactivisminhisarticleSmallChangehearguedthatFacebookactivismsucceedsnotby
motivatingpeopletomakearealsacrificebutbymotivatingthemtodothethingsthatpeopledowhen
theyarenotmotivatedenoughtomakearealsacrifice.GladwellandothershavedismissedFacebook
activismasslacktivism,activitiesthatarelowkeyandeasytoparticipatein,increasingthefeelgood
factorforparticipants,butthatdolittletoaffectmajorchange(Christensen,2011).Slacktivismfurther
canbedefinedasashavingdonesomethinggoodforsocietywithoutactivelyengaginginpolitics,
protest,orcivildisobedience,orspendingorraisingmoney[20].Thusslacktivismiscritiquedasan
easytoengageineffortthatmakeslittledifferenceintheworld.

Yetinaworldwheremicroaggressionsofallkindsareveryreal,thevirtualsupportshowninones
communitythroughsharingimagesofgoodwillandsupportcaninfactmakeadifference.
Microaggressionsconstant,continualexperiencesofsubtleracism,sexism,andheterosexismhave
cumulativedetrimentaleffectssuchasloweredselfesteem,health,wellbeing,andaccessto
opportunities[21].Ayoung,closeted,gaymanwhoseesmessagesofsupportaboutgayrightssplashed
acrosshisFacebookNewsFeedonaregularbasismightseethemofferanintangiblesenseofacceptance
andsupport.Alesbianwholivesinanareawherehomophobicslurs,graffiti,jokes,orotherformsof
everydayviolencearecommonmightfindsolaceinseeingherFacebookNewsFeedfilledwithimages
celebratingandsupportinggayrights.Virtualsupport,whileintangible,isstillsupport[22].Thesekinds
ofdigitalactivismovertimecanleadtomoresubstantiveofflineaction.

Inanidealworld,wewouldbeabletosupportonlythosecausesthatwereclearlyandovertlygood.
However,ourworldisamessyoneandasaresult,individualsmuststrugglewiththetensionsbetween
supportingacauseevenwhenflawedandnotshowingsupportatall.InthecaseoftheHRClogo,many
individualsfoundthatsupportoftheHRCcouldbebeneficialgivenitsvisibilityandreach.Forexample,a
commenterontheGuerillaFeminismthreadexpressedherinitialreluctancethusly:

Everyonewhohasfaceddifficultiesbecauseoftheirsexuality
wereliterallyfloodedwithawaveofsupport,byseeing
friends,lovedones,acquaintances,celebrities,evengiant
corporationslikeBudLight,showingthattheycared.For
peoplewhoareostracized...ittoldthemthattherearepeople
outtherewhoactuallygiveadamn.(GuerillaFeminism,2013)

AcommenterontheNewYorkernotedthatIveheardfromgayfriendsthateverypinkprofilephoto
theywitnessisaheartwarmingcounterbalancetothediscriminationtheyfaceeveryday(Buchanan,
2013).Asindividualsadoptedthelogoandthenewsmediapickeduponthestory,passingonthememe
becamenotjustaboutindividualidentity(Ipersonallysupportgaymarriage)butamassivegroup
identity(Weandtherearemanyofussupportgaymarriage).Whenmemesmovefromindividual
identitydisplaystocollectiveidentitymovements,theyhavethepowertoimpactlastingmaterialchange
intheworld.Whilechangemaystartasminorchange,perhapssimplyraisingawarenessofissues,
memesarewellsuitedtodojustthat(Christensen,2011BreuerandFarooq,2012).Andraising
awarenessisacrucialfirststeptowardssignificantandlastingchangeintheofflineworld.

Indeed,thepowerofInternetmemesliesintheirabilitytodrawattentiontoissuesandcausesworthour
interest.Memesareembeddedwithinthelargerculturalecologyandworkinareciprocalrelationship:
Popularcultureandpoliticscannotbefullyseparated.Theyarediscursivelystructuredinmanysimilar
ways,andtheyinformeachother,feedoffeachother[23].Onceourattentionisdivertedtoissues
worthourinterest,wecanthentakeaction.JustasRocktheVoteandothervotermobilizationefforts
havepaidoffinincreasedvotinghabitsamongyouth,thecirculationofimagesinsocialnetworks
includingmemescanhavesignificanteffects.A2010studyof61millionvoterspublishedinNature
showedthatasingleFacebooksocialmessagefromafriendnotingIVotedincreasedvoterturnout
directlybyabout60,000votersandindirectlythroughsocialcontagionbyanother280,000voters,fora
totalof340,000additionalvotes.Theauthorsthereforearguedthatonlinepoliticalmobilizationworks.It
inducespoliticalselfexpression,butitalsoinducesinformationgatheringandreal,validatedvoter
turnout[24].Similarly,Gehl(2013)assertsthatthepowerofsocialmediainducedbodiestogetinto
publicsquaresandtogetintopollingbooths,withtheresultthatradicalpoliticalchangeisindeed
possible.

InexaminingthepotentialpowerofInternetmemes,then,lookingtoanexampleliketheHumanRights
Campaignlogoallowsustoseehowmemesspreadwithinkairoticculturalecologies.Theydrawonboth
individualandgroupidentitiesandtheyallowforrapidvisualrepresentationofalignmentwithacause.
TheHRClogoisembeddedinacomplexecologyofissuesgaymarriagerightstransgenderrightsthe
rightsofothermarginalizedgroupssuchaspeopleofcolorandundocumentedimmigrants.Thespreadof
memesliketheHRClogoillustratesthatmemesarenotsimplyminormomentsofslacktivism,butare

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