Memes and Globalization

A crucial part of memes are the different people that create them. They come from different places across the globe, where they have access to a computer and the Internet. That means of course, that developed countries will have a higher amount of computer and Internet users. As we already know, the Internet allows us to spread information with a click of the mouse. This allows culture to spread at a rate that we have never seen before. Whether they are cultures from across the world or they are smaller cultures within a larger culture, you can see them in the developments of a meme. While it is hard to find the original meme, you can occasionally see the differences between cultures.

### **Globalization**

Jimmy Carter once said, “Globalization, as defined by rich people like us, is a very nice thing... you are talking about the Internet, you are talking about cell phones, you are talking about computers. This doesn't affect two-thirds of the people of the world.” The world isn’t now only related with each other by economy, but also through popular culture, the internet and international relations. The Internet is a medium that allows the entire world to participate in a “global” culture or more precise, the western cultures. With the Internet mostly being in English, the people with computers have become globalized through English. This subjects the rest of the world to memes that are in English, therefore also the American or English cultures. The spread of Image Macros has to do with what the image communicates through language. People then participate through translating this and tweaking it to their culture, in what Shifman calls “glocalization.”

#### **Glocalization**

Shifman created this term to mean a mixture of foreign and familiar, creating a multifaceted, hybrid culture. He circulated a meme in English speaking countries and then asked Germans to translate it. The example in American English involved football, which the Germans changed to the “Bundesliga,” the German soccer league. The main joke stayed the same because it was about love and the internet, which people in Germany and America understand. The same meme-joke was produce in Saudi Arabian and the response there was not as positive because of the cultural differences. In western countries, jokes about pre-marital sex and love are a cultural norm, but in Saudi Arabia, it is taboo, hence why the joke was not popular. The Saudi Arabians would have to change the context of the meme for it to appeal to the people.

This picture was taken this year at the G7 in Bavaria, Germany. They are known for their beautiful scenery and mountains, so they took that context of culture to make a meme. This one also when translated can fit into the culture of Colorado, USA for example. We also have mountains and like most people, understand what it's like when our mothers get frustrated at us. This one is easy to "glocalize" because of the types of feelings it portrays; everyone should understand what it's like to have somebody frustrated at them. The picture under it is funny, but it's also a link to the Lion King. It is a really popular film in the western culture, so most people who see this will draw a connection to that. People who haven't seen it in english will still understand it, but it won't draw them to the cultural reference. They are both culturally different.

Another example of glocalization is this link. A lot of the memes that were created by Germans were in English and made references to movies like Lord of the Rings and Batman. It's very obviously a large mix of cultures. In this screencast discusses a Buzzfeed article about a very popular german meme. This video proves that even though the Germans are using puns in their own language, there is still evidence of American culture in it.

### References

1. ↑ Davison, Patrick. “The Language of Internet Memes.” The Social Media Reader. Ed. Michael Mandiberg. New York UP, 2012. 120-134. Ebook.
2. ↑ "Jimmy Carter Quote." *BrainyQuote*. Xplore. Web. 6 July 2015. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jimmycarte130501.html>.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Shifman, Limor. Memes in Digital Culture. Cambrigde, MA: Massachusetts Institue of Technology Press, 2014. 151-171. Ebook.