Beyond the Laughter: Exploring Notions of Gender, Race, and Empathy in the Landscape of Reaction Memes

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: This project explores the significance of viewing social media and technology through the lens of cultural and knowledge production, particularly within the context of Black studies. It emphasizes the role of social media as a platform for communication and the production of cultural knowledge, which influences and integrates into real-world experiences. The project specifically focuses on the interaction between memes, reaction culture, and the representation of Black Gender-Marginalized individuals on Twitter. Drawing on the works of scholars like Sylvia Wynter, Saidiya Hartman, Nicole Fleetwood, Sarah Haley, Zakiyyah Iman Jackson, Toni Morrison, Katherine McKittrick, and Christina Sharpe, the research seeks to understand the implications of memes and reaction culture in shaping identities and examining how they are constituted, ascribed, and organized. The project also aims to uncover what is gained or lost in the viral nature of these reaction videos and how it impacts individuals who encounter these tweets. This research holds significance due to the unique nature of technology as both a liberating and violent sphere of social communication. It recognizes that violence can manifest in visible and shocking ways, but also in practices that obscure the harm inflicted. By examining the nuanced forms of violence that occur on social media platforms, the study seeks to bring attention to these issues in the hope of minimizing and eliminating such violence.

DOI	https://doi.org/10.25740/ds960gk2859
Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/ds960gk2859

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License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC).

Preferred citation: Ewin, T. (2023). Beyond the Laughter: Exploring Notions of Gender, Race, and Empathy in the Landscape of Reaction Memes. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at https://purl.stanford.edu/ds960gk2859. https://doi.org/10.25740/ds960gk2859.

Undergraduate Honors Theses in African and African American Studies, Stanford University

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