Media Memes and Prosumerist Ethics

This article argues that media memes have arisen as a unique media phenomenon in the context of our globally networked condition, which manifests in the physical world as hugely disproportional effects. Thus, memes invoke unique ethical implications, perpetuating issues such as hipster racism and slactivism. The author works forward from Godwin’s statement that we have an “obligation to improve our informational environment” (Godwin, 1994). Deconstructing several examples of memetic disproportional effect, the article argues that Godwin’s “counter-meme” solution alone is not enough to correct damage done by harmful memes. Examining memes through several traditional communication theory lenses, the author concludes by suggesting several principles that could ethically improve online behavior and address the unique ways memes perpetuate social ills.