ON THE MEMEFICATION OF DISASTERS: Facebook and the Creative Filipino Spirit [Some Preliminary Considerations]

I was fortunate to be comfortably at home when Habagat's wrath struck regions in 2012. At that point my only "way" to be "out" of the house was through the internet connecting with friends and amusing myself with the technological artwork that has been circulating for two to three days within the smiting of the storm. 

Aside from citizen journalism, there was mostly Memes, expressions produced through the rapid flow of information through the net. All one needs is a scanned or digital picture to form the background for statements that are in relation to it. They are aptly postmodern and not necessarily original [Castillo: 2013]. Memes can have similar backdrops but differing statements. To further the postmodern quality of the meme is the idea of its construction, as a meme may be one maker's construction of reality through tools that are available as a storyteller would create one world [ibid]. A maker of a meme creates many possible things, whether it is an artistic message to another person, or a statement of his or her observation of the world. It is both these qualities that make it popular. 

The memes circulating ranged from comical portraits to other forms of humorous (group) pieces ---- the common trend among them is that they signal either a sense of machismo in braving the weather, or showing indeed what is a 'waterproof spirit'. There has also been margin for the spread of hypocrisy on the part of students who apparently had difficulty comprehending the difference between laziness and practicality; this, underscored in the subject of class suspensions.

It is asked if Memes could be considered as art. A minimalist conceptualization would define Art as the man-made creation of beautiful things [Castillo: 2013]. There are definitely memes which are artfully made, and these can actually serve as Tolkien’s example of true creativity --- the combination of both the beauty of the image with the beauty of intellect [Castillo: 2013].

However, beyond that there is the need to consider other factors such as age and capability. There are certain forms of art that belong to one particular age range as well as a generation. Memes usually would require a good mastery of popular culture for what Sheldon Cooper would like to call the more optimum ‘BAZZINGA’  effect. Given this, the range begins from teen years until adulthood.

To create a meme takes not just imagination but also rational thought, and this also explains why there are both idiosyncratic and idiotic memes --- the latter of which are considered failures in terms of intellectual thought. But this is not necessarily to exclude the possible outputs from child prodigies who could create insightful memes [Castillo: 2013].

We’ve seen in disaster studies that art is often an outlet for coping as well as grieving for all forms of losses. It makes us ponder why there is more popularity with Meme forms and as a result an indirect, lessened encouragement on using traditional mediums. The Filipino attitude is often guilty of committing various degrees of Argumentum ad populum, and preference for Memes shows one extent of this. Whatever is the popular medium is the automatic considerable favorite. But then of course, there are more apparent reasons behind its favorability. It’s fast and easy to make as well as being a flexible way to communicate on graphics-permissive social networks [Castillo: 2013].

  

It’s then of interest to ask of the chances that serious art (in contrast to the light nature of memes) would be explored by fellow Filipinos in the local setting. The possibility isn’t remote, but there always be preference for the light and humerous. The tendency for comical approaches is a Filipino national trait. Filipino culture is rich with examples of these in literature and movies. Filipinos tend to want happy endings more than sad or ironic [Castillo: 2013]. 

While Memes are known for being more of a staple of humor, they do have their potential to encourage change. But if only intended as a medium for the comic relief for the devastation caused by calamities, they can themselves become idiosyncratic behavior now instead of modes of artistic expression [Castillo: 2013].

Interview was conducted on September 08, 2013 via Facebook.

Ronald M. Castillo, MA is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Santo Tomas and is an Instructor of Social Science and Philosophy subjects La Consolacion College in Caloocan. He specializes in Political Culture, Philippine Political Dynamics, and Geopolitics.