Meme-making: Poaching, Reappropriation, or _Bricolage_?

Abstract

Memes are a prominent example of a kind of digital artifact. It is widely agreed that an integral component of meme-making is the way in which it makes use of other existing material. In this paper, I examine three different ways of understanding this making use of. First, it has been seen in economic terms, as a kind of poaching. Secondly, the cultural concept of (re)appropriation has been deployed. Finally, Lévi-Strauss’s notion of bricolage is often mentioned. I argue that despite some interesting insights deriving from the first two approaches, it is the third that gives the most comprehensive and interesting take on meme-making