SESAM at SemEval-2020 Task 8: Investigating the relationship between image and text in sentiment analysis of memes

This paper presents our submission to task 8 (memotion analysis) of the SemEval 2020 competition. We explain the algorithms that were used to learn our models along with the process of tuning the algorithms and selecting the best model. Since meme analysis is a challenging task withtwo distinct modalities, we studied the impact of different multimodal representation strategies. The results of several approaches to dealing with multimodal data are therefore discussed in the paper. We found that alignment-based strategies did not perform well on memes. Our quantitative results also showed that images and text were uncorrelated. Fusion-based strategies did not show significant improvements and using one modality only (text or image) tends to lead to better results when applied with the predictive models that we used in our research

Uso informativo del meme de la mujer y el gato en usuarios del fan page A Lo Perucho, 2022

Los procesos comunicacionales son parte de un ecosistema en donde la información es variable por todos sus canales de difusión, es este lugar en donde sale como medio de uso para la información, el Meme, por el impacto que puede causar. Los memes tienen el poder de expresar emociones sentimientos colectivos de las personas y todo se simplifica en un meme, nos hacen reír, llorar, pensar, pero como no podemos explicar exactamente qué son, lo más importante es cómo pueden llegar a transportar información socio cultural de persona en persona y más sorprendente aún como pueden ser tan similares a los genes en su forma de transportar códigos de un mensaje de persona en persona. Esto ha generado la transferencia de ideas y cultura nueva que se va desarrollando dentro de una atmósfera o espacio virtual que facilita un mensaje original y mutable gracias a la creatividad humana y a las nuevas tecnologías la cual puede ser de uso importante para la comunicación. Hay un intercambio y complicidad de todos para la unificación de un mensaje y desde la creación y por su propagación vemos resultados positivos en cuanto a su composición y el conjunto que facilita el intercambio de conocimientos y asociaciones para su fácil exposición a su constante viralización

What do they really “Meme”? A multimodal study on ‘Siakap Langkawi’ memes as tools for humour and marketing

The popularity of memes has increased in this modern era as they can be highly accessible on the internet. They are significant as communication tools on social media such as tools for humour and marketing. Studies commonly explored memes in the field of marketing and business, politics, and even their effects on social media users. However, studies which focus on memes from a multimodal discourse perspective, particularly in the Malaysian context in relation to the Siakap Langkawi issue, seem to be fairly scarce. Hence, through the lens of the three-dimensional model by Fairclough and the three dimensions of memes by Shifman, a multimodal study on memes with the issue on Siakap Langkawi as the theme is conducted. Specifically, this study examines the meanings and messages of the memes. Findings show that the memes in this study constitute a form of mockery, protest, and resistance towards the Siakap Langkawi issue as Malaysians stand for the rights of consumers. Additionally, pantun and famous memes were used and recreated; the salience of word font and images contribute greatly to the intended meaning and messages of these memes. This study is timely as it provides a detailed analysis of the structures of memes and categorises them into themes to show common trends. Such a move ultimately contributes to our understanding of the ways Malaysian social media users express their thoughts, messages, and dissent on the Siakap Langkawi issue via memes

Memeing and meaning: an examination of internet memes as linguistic units

Internet memes have become a common communicative tool, blending images, text, and humour into complex multimodal units. Despite their prevalence, memes have been the subject of comparatively little linguistic study. In this thesis, I have undertaken an analysis of image macro memes from a linguistic perspective, drawing from a framework based on iconicity and metaphor. My approach was also informed by data from a review of 30 prevalent memes, an online survey of the Reddit forum r/memes, and focus groups of meme users. Combining established linguistic conventions with the findings from my data collection, I have created a theoretical model to document meme construction and evolution, the Life Cycle model of internet memes. This model consists of three stages—creation, conventionalization, and abstraction—which are each defined by six criteria: engagement, relation to origin, locus of meaning, continuity of form, continuity of meaning, and intuitability. In Stage One, a meme is a largely structural unit used by a limited group which relies on a fixed form and meaning. In Stage Two, these characteristics begin to erode, with the meme used in a larger network with fewer restrictions of form and meaning. In Stage Three, a meme moves beyond its physical limits into the conceptual sphere, emerging as a widely used point of reference with highly fluid or branching forms and meanings. Together, the stages of my Life Cycle model describe the entire progression of a meme from a novel pairing of media with text through to becoming an entrenched part of internet culture

Mythcon 44 - Green and Growing: The Land and Its Inhabitants in Fantasy

How does mythopoeic literature address the relationship between the land and its inhabitants, between the wild and the cultivated? What are their respective moral values, their dangers, and delights? Tangled forests, majestic trees, the ordered fields, the carefully tended gardens; or untamed, wild beauty: each offers a different kind of bounty to those who would live off the land. What role do advocates and protectors of the land play in fantasy literature, particularly as personified in characters such as Yavanna, Radagast, Sam Gamgee, and, of course, Tom Bombadil

Accessible Creativity with a Comic Spin

Creativity and humour allow people to be expressive and to address topics which they might otherwise avoid or find deeply uncomfortable. One such way to express these sentiments is via comics. Comics have a highly-visual format with relatively little language.They therefore offer a promising opportunity for people who experience challenges with language to express creativity and humour. Most comic tools, however, are not accessible to people with language impairments. In this paper we describe ComicSpin, a comic app designed for people with aphasia. ComicSpin builds upon the literature on supporting creativity by constraining the creative space. We report both the design process and the results of a creative workshop where people with aphasia used ComicSpin. Participants were not only successful in using the app,but were able to create a range of narrative ,humorous and subversive comics