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2023-12-14
Aaron Danner Professor Clarke Comp II 13 Dec. 2023 COVID-19 Archive Entries
During COVID, I unearthed some pre-existing online culture in certain spaces, like the larger Black online communities. With the pandemic especially disproportionately affecting communities of color, sometimes it could be fun to send photos back and forth, especially when there was nothing better to do. These entries into "A Journal of the Plague Year: The COVID-19 Archive" somewhat reflect my background (black, chronically online, good music enjoyer). Through careful consideration, the images above contribute to the COVID-19 Archive by centering on the Black online experience during the period. Entry 1: Photo - "I’ll take the seen bro" This photo, posted sometime in 2022, directly references group chat culture and highlights the isolation that such online social hubs sort of erased, to some degree, which provided an outlet from which experience further caused damaging effects. In the span of the 36-odd months between the start of covid 2020 and this time Fall of 2023, many things surrounding sociability changed. This entry envisions the underlying happy-sadness within the digital spaces at the time. We were thankful to have someone to share these posts with even if we couldn’t see them in real life. By the presumed “end” of COVID, many become “chronically online”, or at the least, the youth became even more enthralled with social media communities than before. Saying “I’ll take the seen” demonstrates a joking willingness to sacrifice one’s online profile (an exaggerated act) concerning group chat message viewing and response. Entry 2: Photo - Sosa in the Ukraine” Also from around 2022 (speculatively), entry #2 involves an enlarged edit of Chief Keef along over a cityscape with the caption “On the way to Ukraine 🚶💥🔫🏃♂️.” This edited image of Chief Keef (@chiefkeefsosa on Instagram) reflects on the early stages and meme culture of the COVID-19 period Ukraine conflict. The transcendent Chicago star posted this image as the conflict overseas began to heat up. During this time, the underlying danger of the war as well as the widespread long-term effects of the pandemic were still fresh on the internet. The post’s lighthearted attitude was quickly absorbed by the rest of the internet, where the image continued to circulate. Surely, future researchers will unearth photos like these in amazement at how simple memes assisted so many in pain during isolated periods. They helped maintain comedic and cultural connections despite physical distancing measures. Circulation and archival of images from the Black community, from the pandemic period, will provide a more complete record for the future.. The selected items offer a window into the complexities of the Black experience during the pandemic, shedding light on both the challenges faced and the enduring spirit of resilience and resistance that defines the Black community. Through these submissions, I invite a more comedic perspective of the socio-cultural impact of the pandemic, ensuring that this part of the COVID narrative won't be forgotten. -
2020-04-04
HIST30060: Daniel Andrews' Facebook Post
This is a screenshot of a Facebook post made by Daniel Andrews’ public page on 4th April 2020. This post exemplifies the Victorian Premier’s ability to co-opt social media trends in promoting his own political agenda. Popular in early 2020, the meme followed the template of “Good morning to everyone except,” followed by exclusion of a relatively a niche social group. This screenshot illustrates the subtle use of social media as propaganda by the Andrews government. Andrews’ social media pages are seldom thought of as such, as the skill of his social media team has allowed him to maintain a popular and likeable social media persona. In an age of ubiquitous social media use, the Andrews government has used social media very effectively to protect its legitimacy and justify its methods. For example, the screenshot highlights the use of guilt by the Andrews government to legitimise health restrictions. The government consistently stressed that the pandemic restrictions were for the benefit of the public and necessitated complete compliance. Those who rejected health advice were endangering the entire community and “putting everyone at risk.” This post therein encapsulates sophisticated government propaganda and the co-opting of social media for political purposes. I selected this post as someone influenced by the sophisticated campaign of government messaging. It lead me to resent rule-breakers and see the prolonged restrictions as a legitimate use of government authority to protect the public. As someone who entered the pandemic as a supporter of the Labor Party and Daniel Andrews personally, I no longer think the severity and length of the lockdowns were necessary. Yet, his social media presence certainly made him likeable, funny, and relatable at the time. -
2022-04-04
Traumatic Event After Traumatic Event
Screenshot I found from @lovedoveclarke on Twitter. A little dark humor surrounding the many traumatic events we keep experiencing -
2020-04-29
These are the 43 best COVID-19 memes for the week of March 27
We published our favorite 63 COVID-19 memes not too long ago and the response was overwhelming. Turns out during these serious, scary and uncertain times, one thing is for sure: We could all use a good laugh. And one more thing that’s for sure: the memes just keep on coming. We bring you this week’s best COVID-19 sayings and memes. -
2021-05-21
Quarantine Enjoyment
During the first few months of the pandemic, I got to relax and sleep in with basically little homework. After school ended, I got to spend more time with my sisters inside and I found new hobbies. Hobbies that I picked up during quarantine are embroidery, volleyball, and badminton. When we had to return back to school, I didn’t have to go to in-person school and got to wake up a little later than usual. During quarantine, I spent most of my time with my family, so we went over to my cousin’s house weekly. My cousin got two new Yorkie puppies named Mochi and Matcha. Since we went there often, I got to spend more time with the puppies. Quarantine was also a great time for me to binge animes and read manga. Even though some of the new and ongoing animes were delayed, I was able to finish animes I was currently watching quickly without distractions. I usually watched animes and TV shows with my sisters whenever we were all available, which was most of the time. -
2021-02-16
But Cellphones. . .
A meme that questions one of the fears surrounding the Covid-19 vaccine. -
2020-12-07
Use of History in Memes
Analysis of recent memes that use historic events to critique or comment on current issues. -
2020-04-05
Corporate Growth
This is a photo of Elon Musk smoking marijuana on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, captioned with the phrase “show me the money.” This is a reference to the astronomical growth of the Tesla Corporation in 2020 and the average investor’s potential to secure massive gains, as well as a joking reference to the near worship of Elon Musk that can be found in the subreddit ‘WallStreetBets.’ This subreddit often features ‘absolute madlads’ making huge gambles on stocks (usually TSLA, AAPL, or AMZN) and subsequently either securing massive returns tallying into the hundreds of thousands or losing everything. When most of my family was laid off from their jobs, my brother and I turned to day trading to keep ourselves and our family afloat. I was one of the only ones still employed at the time, and I was doing this in addition to working up to 75 hours a week to take advantage of overtime pay stacked on top of hazard pay. Although only my father and I were still working, everyone in the family still had bills to pay and the rent was still due. Tesla’s stock, specifically, has grown almost 500% this year and is set to grow even more. This meme is somewhat of an inside joke my brother and I had as we began securing leverage and buying covered calls on TSLA to increase our overall cash flow with the little savings we had to work with. We were quite literally counting on Elon Musk and his revolutionary car company that we had placed our faith in during this time to pay our rent. Luckily, it worked out for us. Ironically, the massive transfer of wealth to corporations from small businesses that went under as a result of COVID-19 was incredibly beneficial for my family and I since we invested in the right stocks at the right time. -
2020-09-29
Using Humor to Deal with the Pandemic
These memes that I have taken from various social media sites that I visit. They help to show how some people are processing the global pandemic through the use of humor and memes to deal with their feelings of anxiety and fear for the future. I have taken part in this and often search the various hashtags for pandemic memes when I am feeling anxious about the pandemic. Many of my friends too share these kinds of memes with each other in our group chats or on their own blogs. -
2020-03-15
Covid-19 Memes from the Anime Community
I like anime and have been feeling depressed during the pandemic. Silly memes like these make me smile. (For reference, "weeb" is a shortened version of "weeaboo", which is someone who really likes anime). A lot of people who have nerdy hobbies like watching anime have spent much of quarantine inside indulging in their hobbies but many are wanting to go back to normal life. Some things from normal life that have been canceled due to COVID-19 is the ability to go to anime conventions and bookstores, where many weebs can hangout and meet with each other. The frustration from the "anti-mask" movement and the lack of decline in coronavirus cases has spawned many anime memes promoting mask wearing and proper handwashing during the pandemic. (The image of Unit 01 (the purple robot) "washing" their hands is currently hanging on my bathroom door at home). -
2020-08-23T04:25:05
What would you do if we could turn back time before COVID-19?
What would you do if we could turn back time to a period before COVID-19? Asking this question today could possibly lead to many answers. Unfortunately, life, as we know it, has drastically changed as conditions have worsened. The COVID-19 pandemic has definitely changed the lives of so many people, and throughout this period many have experienced various overwhelming emotions. My life personally had been turned upside down from the start. Before the initial start of this pandemic, I was a seventeen-year-old girl working two jobs, a varsity cheerleading co-captain, an AP and honors student pertaining to various extracurriculars, and was about to make the most important decision of my life regarding my college education. As much as I was overwhelmed throughout this period I was determined to keep going regardless. But in a short span of time, after that, I had lost my two jobs and the remainder of my senior year in high school. The rapidness of these events had definitely taken a toll on my mental state of mind not knowing what came next. While the weeks continued we were all placed under quarantine not being able to leave our homes unless for essential purposes. The world had completely shut down in such a short period of time. And with much contemplation among myself, it took a period of time until I was able to completely adjust to what seemed to be a new lifestyle. Not knowing what to expect in the next couple of months left me in a state of cluelessness, and to think that others can relate to this feeling as well. So with selecting this phrase, “Has anyone tried unplugging 2020 for 10 seconds and plugging it back in?” Is such a critical way to ask what would we do take back ten seconds to what used to be our normal life? And as much as I would want to return to relive all my experiences that I have lost due to this pandemic, this time of isolation has served me for a time of revaluation of my own personal values. While many hepatic issues are happening in this world right now, I personally think that this time is what you make out of it while that be a positive or negative change in your life. As will never know what life will bring us next.