Meme Mapping: Understanding Online Social Networks

Memes have become a common component of the Internet and social media. Yet the origin and movement of memes – not to mention the impact that they have on politics – is relatively unknown. In an attempt to address this gap in the literature, this research traced 188 political memes from popular Facebook pages to their digital origin. In recording the major points of dissemination along the way, a meme map has been created of the movement of memes across various webpages. Analyzing this image provides significant insight into the reach of memes – reinforcing some theories and challenging others. Framed within analysis of discourse theory and identity politics, this meme map provides insight into the modern development of Social Movement Communities (SMCs) and Online Social Networks (OSNs).