The Net Vol 1 & 2
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Many don’t consider internet memes deep or a form of art. They think that internet memes are shallow, made for a quick laugh then discarded. However, I would like the present the argument, through my project ‘The Net,’ that internet memes — small images with text that require specific cultural knowledge to understand — are indeed an artistic form of expression.
Each one of my designs in the net took hours of design and thinking, then years of experience and interaction with social media and internet culture to create. To understand one of them, one would need to be present in a certain internet culture for quite some time. Furthermore, when put together, these ‘memes’ are a reflection of my place and understanding of Internet culture. I challenge you to find a single person who can fully understand all 18 of the designs.
Internet memes aren’t shallow, they are a reflection of people and their communities. To come to fruition and be understood, internet memes need years of development and they have deep histories. When curated by an individual, these images then become a reflection of a person’s journey through ‘The Net’: a self portrait of a digital identity.
