Since the start of 2020 the coronavirus has spread across the world like wildfire. The pandemic has so far killed over one hundred thousand people in its global rampage, and has subsequently left many countries in economic and political ruins. Political opinion makers have used the crisis to highlight and concretize perceived societal flaws, and one source for this type of criticism is the social media platform Reddit, where memes are used in different forums about American politics. This study examines corona related political memes on the subreddit r/PoliticalHumor, and emphasizes and discusses what opinions, ideologies and discourses that take place on the self proclaimed politically neutral forum during the corona crisis. The theoretical framework firstly defines political memes thanks to various studies about the specific subject, supported by theories surrounding participatory culture by Henry Jenkins. We also use the theories of social constructivism, semiotics, internet social activism and a critical discourse analysis (CDA). The CDA is also the main method of the study, where we use Anabela Carvalho’s CDA model fitted for media texts. Johnny Saldaña’s thematic quantitative analysis model, and Roland Barthes semiotic analysis model about denotation and connotation further helps us to dissect and analyze the memes. The results show us that the political memes regarding corona on r/PoliticalHumor are predominantly critical towards the American power elite, and use the corona crisis to highlight the perceived flaws of the US hegemony rather than to support it. This political critique is presented in three major discourses; distrust of the power, othering of the political opponents and a collapse discourse. As a tool for opinion making in an international crisis, political memes might follow these three major discourses in other contexts.

Orientador: Laan Mendes de Barros / Resumo: Esta pesquisa busca analisar os memes políticos a partir da ótica da inserção das pessoas militantes em comportamentos coletivos e compartilhados de apoio ou oposição a candidaturas, tendo em vista o segundo turno das Eleições Presidenciais de 2018. Para tanto, constrói-se uma exploração teórica que leva em conta as transformações da sociedade em vias de midiatização, onde os processos de interação tecidos em redes são híbridos e as lógicas sociais, altamente baseadas no midiático, pois passam a levar em conta dinâmicas desse campo social sobretudo quando se observa as instituições e mobilizações políticas. O trabalho se baseia no pensamento político de Jacques Rancière (1996, 2009, 2012, 2016), para quem a política é a contestação da ordem policial que estabelece hierarquicamente lugares definidos a serem ocupados pelos indivíduos e uma partilha do sensível consensual, não se restringindo à estrutura jurídico-política de gestão dos interesses coletivos. São apresentados, então, partindo de Dawkins (2018 [1976]) e Shifman (2014), os desdobramentos investigativos que enquadram os memes como elementos dotados de sentidos que encontram nos sites de redes sociais um ambiente fecundo para se multiplicarem e serem capazes de conformar ação política. Com base, especificamente, nos memes de ação popular, caracterizados por ações coletivas performáticas com teor comportamental apropriados por essas militâncias para pautar discussões, visa-se compreender se eles instituem o que Braga (... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This research seeks to analyze the political memes from the perspective of the insertion of the militants into collective and shared behaviors of support or opposition to candidacies, in consideration of the second round of the 2018 Brazilian Presidential Election. For this, a theoretical exploration is constructed to take into account the transformations of the society in the process of mediatization, where the processes of interaction that woven into networks are hybrids and the social logics are highly based on the media since they adopt dynamics of this social field which is noted especially when observing the political institutions and mobilizations. This work is based on the political thinking of Jacques Rancière (1996, 2009, 2012, 2016), for whom politics is the contestation of the police order that establishes hierarchically defined places to be occupied by people and a consensual distribution of the sensible, not restricting itself to the juridical-political structure of management of the collective interests. Then, are presented, starting from Dawkins (2018 [1976]) and Shifman (2014), the investigative unfoldings that frame the memes as meaningful elements that find in social networking sites a fruitful environment to multiply and be able to conform political action. Based specifically on the memes grassroots action, characterized by collective performatic actions with behavioral content appropriated by these militants to guide discussions, it is sought to understan... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

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The thesis re-presents the lived experience of cultural animation and policy production in postcolonial Zimbabwe, seeking to place these observations and theories in the domain of Cultural Policy Studies. The nation was in transition from oracy to literacy and from colonial control to socialist independence. Cultural workers in Bulawayo were very productive after Independence without apparently being aware of any policies. How, then, did things get done? The initial premise was that people living in oral cultures were always able to discuss plans and implement decisions, and that endogenous and exogenous influences (theorised as memes) were incorporated experimentally in a cultural bricolage. Part One introduces the pre-policy context of cultural change in precolonial and postcolonial situations, theorises cultural change at a micro level in terms of memetics and explains the methodology of multiple case studies. Part Two looks for origins of cultural concepts in 19th century white-authored journals and 20th century revolutionary texts and presents a critical analysis of formal documents controlling cultural policy since Independence. The importance of plurilingualism, translation and literacy in interactions between social actors is examined. Part Three provides empirical evidence to refine the original proposition in a detailed synchronic study of local cultural praxis. Discourse analysis of conflict and consensus operating at grassroots level is followed by accounts of the increasing management capacity of some groups as they become professional performers in international arenas. Contrasting instances of individual and communal animation are found in the development of institutions. Part Four discusses the role of dynamic oral policies in cultural action both in a pre-policy situation and in the implementation of documented policy in a democratising polity. The thesis also has potential for its theoretical findings to be applied in different national contexts of development and beyond cultural policy to other spheres where an increasing volume of policy initiatives challenges the people charged with their implementation.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-12-14T11:44:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Heitor Pinheiro de Rezende.pdf: 6569113 bytes, checksum: 341465ccc7c9496fe3c1683bc92db39a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-14T11:44:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Heitor Pinheiro de Rezende.pdf: 6569113 bytes, checksum: 341465ccc7c9496fe3c1683bc92db39a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-11-26 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / This research analyzes the types of violence in the memes that attacked Dilma Rousseff of the PT and Aecio Neves of the PSDB, candidates with greater number of votes in the presidential elections of Brazil in 2014, and proposes the analysis on the production and sharing of these symbols in the cyberspace. From this, the research problem englobes the questions: a) What types of violence are found in memes created and shared with candidates? b) What methods were used to produce and disseminate these representations on the internet during the election period? c) What is the relationship between the violent memes and political groups? The central hypothesis is that between the memes created and shared with internet users, violent symbols were created and disseminated by members of political groups interested in attacking the candidates' images during the election. Facing this reality, the research is based on the method of Kozinets (1997), which consists of the capture and creation of a corpus composed of information from the internet. In addition, this research uses the Manuel Castells' theories to establish the relationship between the internet, politics, social movements and elections; Richard Dawkins and Vilém Flusser's studies, with the intention to show the origin and the role of the memes used by the netizens to express feelings about the presidential election of 2014; and Vladimir Safatle's concepts, with the purpose of highlight the importance of the humor of these reproductions. With the goal of exposing the types of violence in the memes that attacked the candidates, the research uses the Pierre Bourdieu, Eugênio Trivinho, Paulo Virilio and Norberto Bobbio's theories; uses press complaints; and laws of justice. In order to reveal the behavior of the responsible for these expressions and the effects generated by their actions, the investigation uses David Urgate and Sergio Amadeu da Silveira's theories in defense of cyber liberation; and Eugenia Kolivos and Ana Kuperman's studies about astroturfing – theme given to illegitimate public manifestations subsidized by entities. The goal of this project is expose events for the scientific area and contribute with new perspectives on the violence of memes that today attack Brazilian politicians on the internet / Esta investigação apura os tipos de violência presentes nos memes que atacaram Dilma Rousseff, do PT, e Aécio Neves, do PSDB, candidatos detentores da maior quantidade de votos na eleição presidencial no Brasil em 2014, bem como propõe o exame da forma de produção e compartilhamento desses símbolos no ciberespaço. Sendo assim, o problema da pesquisa reúne as questões: a) quais são os tipos de violência encontrados nos memes disseminados contra os candidatos? b) de que maneira essas representações foram produzidas e divulgadas, na internet, durante o período eleitoral? c) qual a relação entre a violência dos memes e grupos políticos? A hipótese principal da pesquisa é a de que, em meio aos memes criados e compartilhados entre os internautas, surgiram símbolos elaborados e difundidos por partícipes de grupos políticos, os quais tinham interesse em depreciar a imagem dos candidatos no decurso da eleição. Diante disso, a investigação adota metodologia exploratória, aplicada na consulta de estudos documentais e teorias contidas em bibliografias, e também empreende um levantamento netnográfico, baseado no método de Kozinets (1997), que consiste na coleta e criação de um corpus composto por informações da internet. Em complemento, recorre às teorias de Manuel Castells com a finalidade de estabelecer a relação entre internet, política, mobilização social e eleições; aos estudos de Richard Dawkins e Vilém Flusser, com a intenção de mostrar a origem e o papel dos memes usados pelos internautas para se expressarem na eleição presidencial de 2014; e aos conceitos de Vladimir Safatle, com o objetivo de expor a importância da verve humorística dessas reproduções. Com o propósito de evidenciar as formas de violência existentes nos memes que atacaram os candidatos, às quais, por esse motivo, enfraqueceram o princípio pacífico desses símbolos utilizados pelos brasileiros para se expressarem na internet, a investigação usa as teorias de Pierre Bourdieu, Eugênio Trivinho, Paul Virilio e Norberto Bobbio; denúncias feitas pela imprensa; e as leis estabelecidas pela Justiça na época. A fim de revelar a forma de atuação dos responsáveis por essas expressões e os efeitos gerados por suas ações, são colocadas em discussão as teorias de David Urgate e Sergio Amadeu da Silveira, em defesa do ciberativismo; e os estudos de Eugenia Kolivos e Ana Kuperman sobre o astroturfing – tema dado às manifestações públicas ilegítimas subsidiadas por entidades. Desse modo, o resultado esperado é o de expor esses acontecimentos de forma científica, assim como contribuir para perspectivas referentes à violência dos memes que atacam políticos brasileiros na internet atualmente

Dracula is a narrative that has risen above its own origins, having been translated and adapted across mediums it has inundated culture with vampires. However, with each adaptation the narrative and characters adapt into something new. This study is interested in the mechanism behind this evolution and argues that memes and, and their interpretations, are largely responsible for these shifts across adaptations. Three memes, in particular, tend to be adapted in films of Dracula. They include Dracula's appearance, Mina's empowerment, and the nature of the bite that they share. This analysis covers how these memes functioned in Stoker's original novel and how they adapted in the films Nosferatu (1922) and Dracula (1979) to reflect the developing culture norms regarding sexuality.

Using Facebook from a theater of war provides a particularly unique vantage point from which to study the broader shift in our communication environment. While many communication technologies began in warzones for mission purposes--connecting planes to the ground, connecting and coordinating strikes and ambushes, reporting needs for medics, and so on, warzones are not known for connecting the war front and the home front. Thus the culture of perpetual contact ushered in by social media technologies like Facebook collides with a situation quintessentially associated with a lack of contact. Surprisingly this point has received little scholarly attention. This dissertation examines the way US troops use Facebook from a theater of war to narrate their experiences to their civilian network members, to each other, and to themselves. The project explores how US troops define and are defined by existing discourses of war; how they shape and are shaped by technological advancements, and how all these relationships are changing what "war" means in this millennium. Data include 20 semi-structured in-person interviews, which took place on active bases in Okinawa, Japan and Camp Pendleton, California. Data also include the field notes from those visits as well as field notes and screen captures of Facebook observations.

The exploration of emerging trends in museum design and theory informs a redefined spatial realm for the design of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada (JHCWC). The JHCWC has been forced to respond to a growing immaterial culture as a result of the current digital revolution. As an institution they have experienced amalgamation and re-location, which has drastically reduced the exhibition and museum space at the Asper Jewish Community Campus. The design will explore a new museum paradigm that is facing technological and digital advancements. Through the exploration of the effects of a virtual culture, the dematerialization of the physical realm can become redefined with the introduction of new digital technologies and interfaces. The proposed design project explores the potentials of a hybrid space, where the virtual and physical spaces interact and come together. The project will also challenge traditional museum assumptions, while creating immersive and participatory experiences. A new spatial coding provides a narrative and representation of culture that is integrated throughout the museum. A spatial typology emerges that suggests inventive experiences of history, culture, heritage and tradition.

A method has been developed to track infectious diseases by using data mining of active Twitter accounts and its efficacy was demonstrated during the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014. Using a meme based n-gram semantic usage model to search the Twitter database for indications of illness, flight and death from the spread of Ebola in Africa, principally from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Memes of interest relate disease to location and severity and are coupled to the density of Tweets and re-Tweets. The meme spreads through the community of social users in a fashion similar to nonlinear wave propagation- like a shock wave, visualized as a spike in Tweet activity. The spreading was modeled as a system isomorphic to a modified SIR (Susceptible, Infected, Removed disease model) system of three coupled nonlinear differential equations using Twitter variables. The nonlinear terms in this model lead to feedback mechanisms that result in unusual behavior that does not always reduce the spread of the disease. The resulting geographic Tweet densities are coupled to geographic maps of the region. These maps have specific threat levels that are ported to a mobile application (app) and can be used by travelers to assess the relative safety of the region they will be in.

The exploration of emerging trends in museum design and theory informs a redefined spatial realm for the design of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada (JHCWC). The JHCWC has been forced to respond to a growing immaterial culture as a result of the current digital revolution. As an institution they have experienced amalgamation and re-location, which has drastically reduced the exhibition and museum space at the Asper Jewish Community Campus. The design will explore a new museum paradigm that is facing technological and digital advancements. Through the exploration of the effects of a virtual culture, the dematerialization of the physical realm can become redefined with the introduction of new digital technologies and interfaces. The proposed design project explores the potentials of a hybrid space, where the virtual and physical spaces interact and come together. The project will also challenge traditional museum assumptions, while creating immersive and participatory experiences. A new spatial coding provides a narrative and representation of culture that is integrated throughout the museum. A spatial typology emerges that suggests inventive experiences of history, culture, heritage and tradition.