In todays worlds, communication has risen to new methods and means. Prior to this “digital revolution” written language and spoken, verbal phrases were the main means of communicating. Nowadays communication involves prior knowledge of media and rhetoric, as well as creativity and integrity. The meme above is an excellent example of the Ka-knowledge form of communication. Ka-knowledge is the digital, rhetorical practice of assemblage or; the ability to weave together a variety of markers, experiences, texts, sounds and ideas. This form of communication takes away from our previous knowledge of sounds, texts and experiences, and starts to build conclusions using new evidence of communication. The picture above, as an example, is a well known photo taken of some dancing African boys. Multiple memes and forms of media have been created using this photo since the picture itself displays a certain message- addressing serious issues in a humorous way. Photos likes these allow us to draw from previous means of communication to construct a conclusion through the use of Ka-knowledge.
One thing the creator of this meme did particularly well, was keeping the voice. Picture’s display a certain message before any text is inserted. The photo above displays a humorous message, highlighting the dance moves of the children in the shot. By embracing the message given off by the photo the creator of the meme addressed a serious, social issue going on in the world while managing to keep it light-hearted and funny. In order to clearly communicate the message of a meme, the creator must never eliminate the original voice.
Normally identified in DJ and hip-hop compilations, a mix can be used as a communicative tool for digital writing as a whole. In a mix we get patches and samples of associations voiced as multiple moments. These moments come together to create what we hear in digital writing. The meme above is an excellent example of a series of assembled events. The photo by itself displays an entirely different message than it does with texted added in. In this example of a mix, the meme generator assembled the text and photo together to create a form of media that has both a meaning and sound. What do you “hear” in a meme like this?
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