To analyse how disabled people have established communities online, crip space online and how it functions, its benefits and limitations, how comedy and the relatability of memes are used to foster unity and even spread information.
To what extent have memes within online spaces help foster disabled communities?
I want to think about online crip space, online disability communities and the thought process behind comedy and memes, and how this is used to create rhetoric. I personally will be going through the process of making memes myself to better understand how they are made and I will also use examples of other memes made by the community. I will analyze their rhetoric and also the general community and the role that online space has in influencing how we think and talk about disability.
Product design
Digital design with collage of images interlaces with analysis (maybe consider making a video essay?)
Use several sources, both primary and secondary. Scholarly and non-scholarly.
Examples of actual online rhetoric by and from these spaces.
For a text-imaged based project:
Start with an introduction, general information, and use memes when supporting a certain topic.
Analysis is more focused on the online space and communities and less the memes, maybe also dig into how comedy is used to foster community
Or:
Start with the memes then explain their rhetoric, use further in-depth analysis of their meaning to transition into the more scholarly stuff
Analysis is more focused on comedy and art, shared knowledge and community
Try to connect memes and evolution to disability and “normalcy”
For if I want to do a video essay
The writing would be more casual, or at least hold more of my speaking voice and less my academic voice.
I would need to use a lot more images and footage.
Start with an attention grabbing intro, then analysis of memes and finish with a “so-what?” or what they do for online spaces, and why this is important for disabled people.
I have no idea how long it would actually be.
Production plan
Read parts of “Bending over Backwards” first
Then look into information about the actual communities, what is the general vibe of subreddits, tumblr posts, tweets, etc.
Look for memes: I want to look at chronic pain, migraine and insomnia memes first.
Then look into bigger communities, like the autistic community (look into #actually autistic on tumblr).
Have the memes by second meeting, or at least some examples
Have a rough draft by the 29th.
If I do a video essay, I need to find footage for the visuals, then record the commentary. I also don’t know how many words would make a minute, this depends on how fast I talk, how I edit the video, what pauses I make, etc.
Consultation
I’m okay with meeting at the week already planned to have the second and third meetings. The source “Bending Over Backwards” is going to be very helpful for me, and any other sources about online crip space and online disability community would also be really helpful.
I don’t know how to cite social media posts, if you could maybe get me a guide to how to do that, that would be really helpful.
Citations
“Bending over Backwards” by Lennard J. Davis
“Access Imagined: The Construction of Disability in Conference Policy Documents” by Margaret Price
“Celebrating Crip Bodyminds” by Cobett Joan O’Toole (they/them)