Journal of Political Science Education

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You All Made Dank Memes: Using Internet Memes

to Promote Critical Thinking

Dominic D. Wells

To cite this article: Dominic D. Wells (2018) You All Made Dank Memes: Using Internet
Memes to Promote Critical Thinking, Journal of Political Science Education, 14:2, 240-248, DOI:
10.1080/15512169.2017.1406363

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/15512169.2017.1406363

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JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE EDUCATION
2018, VOL. 14, NO. 2, 240–248
https://doi.org/10.1080/15512169.2017.1406363

none defined

You All Made Dank Memes: Using Internet Memes to Promote

Critical Thinking
Dominic D. Wells
Kent State University

ABSTRACT KEYWORDS
In the time following the 2016 presidential election, much has been Critical thinking; teaching;
written about the spread of false information on social media undergraduate education
websites. Given the potential influence false information has had on
American politics, it is more important than ever for people to critically
evaluate the content they view and share on social media. This article
describes an activity that encourages students to develop evidence
based arguments and think critically about content shared on social
media. In the activity, students are asked to generate an internet
meme related to U.S. politics and write a short essay defending the
position they have taken in the meme. This article explains how the
activity can promote critical thinking and includes suggestions for
future implementation.

Introduction
Active learning techniques are an important part of university education. They encourage stu-
dents to collaborate with each other and their instructor. Active learning techniques engage
students in the learning process through activities such as structured debates and simulations
(Archer and Miller 2011). Studies in political science show that students learn more when
engaged in active learning (Frederking 2005; Shellman and Turan 2006). Additionally, active
learning increases knowledge retention (Bonwell and Sutherland 1996) and attracts majors
into the discipline (Shellman and Turan 2006). Research shows that innovative assignments
motivate students and that active learning can help students develop critical thinking skills
(Damron and Mott 2005; Oros 2007; Pleschova 2007). Although active learning techniques
have proven beneficial to students, their use in introductory-level political science courses
is sparse (Archer and Miller 2011). This article describes an activity that requires students
to generate a political meme and write a short essay providing evidence to support the
position taken in their meme. This activity engages students with politics beyond the typical
classroom lecture and can help students develop critical thinking skills necessary to navigate
the current social media environment, where false information is frequently shared.
First, this article provides a description of memes and an explanation for why they are an
important part of modern politics. Second, this article describes the framework used to ident-
ify critical thinking in student meme activities and explains how memes can be an effective
tool for developing critical thinking skills. Third, this article thoroughly describes the political
meme activity and uses examples from student memes to identify the use of critical thinking

CONTACT Dominic D. Wells Dwells15@kent.edu Department of Political Science, Kent State University,
302 Bowman Hall, Kent, OH 44240, USA.
© 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
 JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE EDUCATION 241

skills. Fourth, this article provides feedback from students on the political meme activity.
Finally, this article offers suggestions for future implementation of the political meme activity.

What are memes and why are they important?

The term “meme” was first coined by Dawkins (1976) in the book The Selfish Gene, as
something that spreads throughout a culture. In recent years, the Internet has allowed con-
tent to spread rapidly from person to person, creating a media environment suitable for the
creation of Internet memes (Borzsei 2013). The Internet meme has been defined as “a piece
of culture, typically a joke, which gains influence through online transmission” (Davison
2012, 122). When a meme has been spread to a point of losing comedic value, it is often
labeled as “dank.” However, the term is also sometimes used ironically as a synonym for
“cool” (Klee 2017). An Internet meme can be generated in multiple formats, including a
still image or a video and the presence of websites that allow people to easily generate inter-
net memes has created an environment ripe for sharing information, including false infor-
mation (Borzsei 2013).
Internet memes often focus on current events, engaging people with political issues even
if only for the sake of humor (Borzsei 2013). Much like political cartoons, they can catch
the attention of a reader in a way that an article cannot (Dougherty 2002). Although
sharing an idea or information related to political issues rapidly can be beneficial, the ease
to which Internet memes are generated also allows for the dissemination of false infor-
mation. With 62% of Americans receiving news from social media (Gottfried and Shearer
2016) and strong evidence suggesting that millions of Americans viewed and shared false
content about the candidates in the 2016 presidential election (Allcott and Gentzkow
2017), it has become increasingly important for people to critically evaluate the content
they are exposed to on the Internet. In fact, one study found 115 pro-Trump fake stories
shared on Facebook 30-million times and 41 pro-Clinton fake stories shared 7.6-million
times. The same study estimated that the average American was exposed to at least one fake
story (Allcott and Gentzkow 2017). The widespread exposure to inaccurate political stories
makes the political meme activity especially useful. Not only can the activity encourage
critical thinking, but it can also serve to remind students to be critical of content shared
on the Internet.

Critical thinking skills

There is a need for more ways to develop the critical thinking skills of students. Students
perform poorly on critical thinking evaluations in college courses that rely heavily on
memorization (Stein, Haynes, and Redding 2007). Although other active learning
strategies, such as simulations or class debates, can be effective; they require time and
resources which make them impractical for larger classes. Simulations and debates are
rarely used in introductory-level political science courses (Archer and Miller 2011). There
is a need for critical thinking activities that are practical for a wider range of classes.
Although the political meme activity can be used in a classroom of any size, it is less
limiting than other critical thinking exercises and is particularly useful for large classes
where other activities are impractical. Identifying types of informational statements and
various levels of intellectual activity in student political memes shows how the activity
can help develop the critical thinking skills of students.
242 D. D. WELLS

Constructing arguments is important to the development of critical thinking skills and it

is important that students ask themselves why they believe what they do (Atwater 1991;
Cohen 1993). Critical thinking is also considered a highly valued pedagogical objective
in university education (Bok 2006). Though there are many definitions for critical thinking,
commonly accepted components include the ability to recognize faulty arguments, rash
generalizations, claims that are based on unreliable authority, and claims that lack evidence
(Burbules and Berk 1999; Fitzgerald and Baird 2011). Critical thinking also involves the
ability to understand complex ideas and use evidence to justify reasoning (Moon 2008).
Evaluating the use of critical thinking can be challenging for educators. Understanding
the type of statements being made is one component of critical thinking. Fitzgerald and
Baird (2011, 620) identify four types of informational statements:
1. Factual Statements: Statements that are verifiably true or false.
2. Normative Statements: Statements that express values of right and wrong, good and bad.
3. Interpretive Statements: Statements that derive from textual materials to establish the
intended meaning of the author. Arguments made from the text can be advanced or
countered using the same text.
4. Causal Statements: Statements that make an observable argument of cause and effect
between two concepts.
In addition to correctly using and identifying the types of informational statements
made in writing, critical thinking requires evaluating the logic behind informational state-
ments. Similar to Cavdar and Doe (2012), this article uses the Watson-Glaser Critical
Thinking Appraisal to identify the critical thinking skills of students. According to Watson
and Glaser (1952), critical thinking requires five levels of intellectual activity, presented
below as listed by Cavdar and Doe (2012, 299):
1. Inference: The ability to derive logical conclusions from premises of varied approaches.
2. Recognition of Assumptions: The ability to recognize assumptions and presuppositions
implicit in the approaches.
3. Deductions: The ability to judge whether propositions made by the approaches can be
logically drawn from evidence.
4. Interpretation: The ability to judge whether the conclusions and arguments made by the
approaches can be logically drawn.
5. Evaluation of Arguments: The ability to distinguish relevant, strong, and weak
arguments.
Writing is pivotal to student learning and writing activities are helpful in developing
critical thinking skills (Paul and Elder 2007; Tsui 1999). Well-designed writing assignments
can encourage students to critically evaluate their assumptions (Cavdar and Doe 2012). The
political meme activity described in this article encourages students to construct and
evaluate informational statements and engage in the various levels of intellectual activity
required for critical thinking.

Political meme activity

Students in a large section (121 students) were asked to generate their own Internet meme
related to U.S. politics and/or U.S. public policy. Although Internet memes can be
generated in multiple formats, for the sake of practicality, students were asked to create
one in the form of a still image. Students were required to write their own original caption
 JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE EDUCATION 243

for their meme. They were allowed to use a popular meme image (e.g., Socially Awkward
Penguin; Captain Hindsight; Philosoraptor; Lazy College Senior) or they could caption
their own personal image.
Internet memes shared on social media do not include written explanations of the
content of the memes and the limited space for explanation in Internet meme captions
can often oversimplify political arguments. For their memes, students were required to
write a short essay explaining the stance they took on a political issue. In their explanation,
they could explain the personal relevance (if any) and the connection to American
politics or public policy. In addition, students were required to cite at least one
credible source to provide evidence in support for the position they chose. Although
students were encouraged to use peer-reviewed academic studies, they were also allowed
to use credible news sources (e.g., New York Times; Wall Street Journal) or reports from
credible research firms (e.g., Pew Research Center). Students were given 2 weeks outside
of class to complete the activity. A sample handout of the activity is provided in the
Appendix.
The writing requirement for the meme encouraged students to question their own
thinking about political issues and make their own evidence-based political arguments.
Beyond the relevance to the American politics course, the activity encourages students
to be more critical of the content of the Internet memes they are exposed to on social
media.
Critical thinking in student political memes
Students generated their memes on a variety of political topics—including but not
limited to foreign policy, education, and electoral politics. Students used a variety of the
informational statements identified by Fitzgerald and Baird (2011) in their meme essays.
Of course, using the types of informational statements is not all that is needed to
demonstrate critical thinking. Students also used informational statements in a way that
demonstrated that they were thinking at the various levels of intellectual activity identified
by the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. A couple of examples show how the
political meme activity can promote critical thinking.
One student used the popular meme “Push it Somewhere Else Patrick,” an image of
Patrick from the popular children’s cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants, to make a statement
about President Trump’s immigration ban. The upper caption of the meme reads “Trump:
We should take the immigrants … ” and the lower caption reads “and move them some-
where else.” In the image Patrick is making a gesture consistent with pushing something
from one place to another. In the cartoon, Patrick is known as a dimwitted character
and in one episode actually suggests pushing the town all of the characters live in, Bikini
Bottom, to another location as a problem-solving strategy. The student using the “Push it
Somewhere Else Patrick” meme used the image, and the dimwitted character, to criticize
President Trump’s immigration policy.
Another student used the popular meme “One Does Not Simply Walk into Mordor,” an
image of Boromir from the film Lord of the Rings, to make a statement about freedom of
speech and freedom of the press. The upper caption of the meme reads “one does not
simply support the right to free speech” and the lower caption reads “and then condemn
the press for doing their jobs.” The facial expression of Boromir in the image shows that he
is making a serious point. In the film, the Council of Elrond tells Boromir that the ring
244 D. D. WELLS

Table 1. Informational statements in student memes.

Meme
Statement Push it Somewhere Else Patrick One Does Not Simply Walk into Mordor
Factual Trump signed a record number of Trump barred CNN and the New York Times
executive orders in the first week of from attending the White House press
his presidency. briefing.
Normative The Supreme Court was right to Trump has been waging war against the
revoke the travel ban. media since he was elected.
Interpretive The travel ban is racial profiling. Trump has violated the 1st Amendment by
barring news organizations from
attending the White House press briefing.
Causal The travel ban caused emotional Denouncing the press in the U.S. makes it
distress for countless families. difficult to promote democratic values
abroad.

Table 2. Levels of intellectual activity in student memes.

Meme
Level Push it Somewhere Else Patrick One Does Not Simply Walk into Mordor
Inference Inferred the travel ban would Inferred that Trump makes decisions to
disproportionally impact Muslims. disadvantage media outlets he views as
liberal.
Recognition of Recognized assumption being made about Recognized assumption being made about
Assumptions Muslims and terrorism in ban. specific news media outlets being too
liberal.
Deductions Used evidence to conclude that the court Used evidence to conclude that Trump
made a logical decision. violated the 1st Amendment rights of the
press.
Interpretation Interpreted that the court made a logical Interpreted that Trump violated the 1st
decision Amendment rights of the press.
Evaluation of Evaluated merits of the travel ban to draw Evaluated merits of barring media outlets
Arguments conclusion. from the White House press briefing.

must be destroyed by being thrown into a volcano in Mordor. The character states, “one
does not simply walk into Mordor” in an effort to make the council aware of the difficulty
of the task. The student used the “One Does Not Simply Walk into Mordor” meme to
criticize President Trump for his arguably hypocritical stance on the 1st Amendment
and to demonstrate that to support free speech but not freedom of the press is a
difficult task.
In their essays, each of these students used the four types of informational statements to
defend their positions. Examples of the statements made in each meme are presented in
Table 1.
The students also demonstrated the various levels of intellectual activity described in the
Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. A description of the different levels used in the
memes is presented in Table 2. Taken together, the information in Tables 1 and 2 show
how the political meme activity can promote critical thinking.

Student feedback on the political meme activity

Not only did students use critical thinking skills in the political meme activity, they also
enjoyed it. Students were given the opportunity to provide feedback on the activity on
course evaluations and in a survey. In the comments section of the course evaluations
 JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE EDUCATION 245

Table 3. Student feedback on political meme activity.

Student Response (%)
Survey Question Agree Neither Disagree
The political meme activity enhanced my critical thinking skills. 86.7 11.1 2.2
The political meme activity increased my skepticism of information 75.6 22.2 2.2
shared on social media.
The political meme activity helped me demonstrate my knowledge 93.3 4.4 2.2
about politics.
Note. Political Meme Survey, n ¼ 45. Strongly agree and agree categories are collapsed. Strongly disagree and disagree
categories are collapsed.

several students gave positive feedback for the activity. They wrote things like “I loved the
meme assignment” and “keep the meme assignment.” In addition, a student wrote, “One
assignment I really enjoyed was our political meme. It was something fun and really helped
me learn more about current political situations.”
Following the conclusion of the semester, students were asked to take a voluntary survey
specifically about the political meme activity. Given that the survey was administered after
the semester was over, students had no incentive to be dishonest in their feedback. Of the
students who responded (45), the feedback for the activity was overwhelmingly positive. A
strong majority of students believed the activity enhanced their critical thinking skills
(86.7%). A smaller number, but still a strong majority, believed that the activity increased
their skepticism of information shared on social media (75.6%). Lastly, the strongest
majority believed that the activity allowed them to demonstrate their knowledge about
politics (93.3%). Complete results from the student survey are presented in Table 3.

Suggestions for future implementation

The political meme activity can encourage students to engage with evidence and use critical
thinking skills, but a few improvements could be made to further the goal of critical
thinking development. The opportunity for revision can improve critical thinking (Cavdar
and Doe 2012). This activity was assigned to a large section of introduction-level students,
which made providing constructive feedback and allowing students to revise their political
memes impractical. For future implementation, especially in smaller sections of political
science courses, instructors may provide feedback to students with the requirement that
they revise their political meme essay. The opportunity for revision would help students
draw clear connections between the type of informational statements they make and the
evidence they cite.
Research shows that active learning and debate encourages student participation and
critical thinking (Oros 2007). Instructors may also wish to divide the class into groups
to discuss and critique their memes. Debating the merits of each meme would allow
students to reflect on their use of evidence and help them recognize the strengths and
weaknesses of arguments. This would also help students understand the difficulty of
accurately representing a political issue in one Internet meme.
Fitzgerald and Baird (2011) suggest having students categorize every sentence in their
essays to have students reflect on their informational statements. Following submission
of the political meme, instructors may consider having students categorize each statement
made in their writing as factual, normative, interpretive, or causal. If the student is making
a causal argument with their meme, then writing mostly causal statements and engaging
246 D. D. WELLS

relevant facts and logic would be appropriate. This exercise would help students recognize
the logical connections between evidence, statements, and the content of their political
meme.
Instructors may also consider varying the activity to encourage students to be more
critical. Instead of having students generate their own political meme, instructors may
consider having students select a popular Internet meme about politics or public policy
and write a short essay explaining why they disagree with the meme. This would encourage
students to engage evidence and think critically about political issues while also teaching
them to be critical of content often found on social media.

Conclusion
One of the primary objectives of university education is to develop the critical thinking
skills of students. In recent years, it has become increasingly important for people to view
content on the Internet with some skepticism. False information and faulty arguments
spread on social media websites like wildfire. This activity not only encourages students
to engage in politics in an innovative way that extends beyond the typical classroom setting,
but also accomplishes two objectives. First, the activity encourages students to engage in
various levels of critical thinking. Second, the activity encourages students to be skeptical
of what they view on social media websites and to be mindful of the accuracy of the content
they share. Political Internet memes are going to continue to influence political dialogue.
Through activities like this one, viral dank memes in the future can be well-reasoned and
supported by evidence.

Notes on contributor
Dominic D. Wells is a PhD candidate in political science at Kent State University. He earned a
Master of Public Administration from Bowling Green State University. His work has been published
in the Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs and Teaching Statistics.

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Appendix. Political meme activity

Students will generate an original meme related to U.S. politics and/or U.S. public policy.
Students are encouraged to caption their meme using Meme Generator (https://imgflip.
com/memegenerator) or Quick Meme (http://www.quickmeme.com/caption). However,
they may also choose to caption their image in a Word document. The caption must be
an original caption written by the student. Students who turn in a popular meme
from social media with an unoriginal caption will not receive credit. Though the caption
must be the original work of the student, students may choose to use a popular meme
248 D. D. WELLS

image (e.g., socially awkward penguin; Futurama Fry; Philosoraptor; Lazy College
Senior; Captain Hindsight). Students may caption their own image (e.g., a personal photo).
Meme content must be appropriate for Academic work. Students will write a short
explanation no more than two double-spaced pages in length (not counting the meme)
of how the meme is relevant to U.S. politics or U.S. public policy. Students will
upload a Word document with the meme, an explanation, and a reference page to
Blackboard Learn.
The first page of the assignment should feature the political meme. The following pages
should be an explanation of the meme. The explanation should cover any personal
relevance (if any) and explain how the meme relates to American politics and/or American
public policy. At least one credible source should be cited in support of the position taken
by the meme. Academic studies and peer-reviewed journal articles are ideal, but credible
news sources (e.g., New York Times; Wall Street Journal) or reports from credible research
firms (e.g., Pew Research Center) are also acceptable. Explanations should be
double-spaced and written in 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins.
The completed assignment must be uploaded to Blackboard Learn by [enter due date].
The political meme assignment is worth 40 points and accounts for 5% of the final
course grade. The assignment will be graded by the following criteria.
Organization and Clarity of Writing: 10 points
Spelling and Grammar: 10 points
Content of Meme: 10 points
Quality of Evidence: 10 points