Jan 16 2021 44 mins 12
In this week's episode I talk to Dr Bradley Wiggins about the pervasive power of memes. From a way to shame school friends who were too excited about their Goosebump books to becoming a way to communicate serious political ideals, including many problematic ones, the meme has evolved rapidly over the last decade. Dr Bradley Wiggins is the Associate Professor and Department Head of Media Communications at Webster Vienna Private University. He is one of the people leading the research into the evolution and impact of memes on the current standard of discourse. For more information on the topic check out some of his 2019 book, which I highly recommend: Wiggins, B.E. (2019). The Discursive Power of Memes in Digital Culture: Ideology, semiotics, and intertextuality. Routledge. You can find a review of this book here. Bradley's most recent article which is mentioned during the episode is below: Wiggins, B. E. (2020). Boogaloo and Civil War 2: Memetic antagonism in expressions of covert activism. New Media & Society.
