In doing this week’s readings, Chayko addresses participatory cultures. One of the ideas that she talks about is the consequence of using and re-using others people’s ideas as becoming common place. She writes, “It has also become common to express one’s creativity by remixing and reconfiguring existing content.” This got me thinking about my experience with this week’s play.
I knew right away I wanted to use a meme because I haven’t made one before. One of the things I love about memes is how perfectly the picture and words support each other. I had a photo in mind I wanted to use of my niece that was perfect for my original idea. When I created an img.flip account and hit the button that said create your own, I was flooded with tons of meme pictures to choose from. I didn’t know that you could use somebody else’s picture and just change the words. It has been so engrained in my head through school that it’s essentially illegal to use somebody else’s work that I assumed memes that use the same picture have the same creator. I don’t think that’s true anymore. I know what you’re thinking. How did she not know that?! Permission to call me a newb granted! Anyway, regardless of this new development in my meme understanding, I wanted to use the picture of my niece. I started creating when my boyfriend came and over and asked me what I was doing with the picture. I explained and he strongly urged against it. We started talking about how once I put it out there in the world wide web, it may never be mine again. It’s creepy to think that some stranger could copy and paste the picture and do something else with it. For now I think I’ll refrain from using pictures with identifiable people for memes.
Naturally this topic made me think of sharing. Sidenote: this has also been a major theme with my new group of kindergarteners this year. We recently read the book The Mine-O-Saur about a dinosaur that doesn’t want to share. Spoiler alert, eventually he learns to share. The kids loved and it and we shared some laughs together. I’ll share many things with others, but my niece’s photograph is not one! It’s mine!
Kindergarten Bookworm 