I feel like the concept of comparing modern day memes to Dada-ist works like the Readymades of Duchamp and the collages we saw in class for our Dada composite is not necessarily original and may be a stretch, but I feel like they take up a similar niche that Dadaist works did. The Dada movement began during the post-WWI and pre-WW2 period where the disillusionment and nihilism caused by the fallout of WWI influenced the ridiculous and absurdist, while also critical and politically charged, nature that I feel marks Dadaist works. Compare that to memes that are shared in the hundreds of thousands among typically younger people on social media like the popular trend in creating “positive affirmations”: https://www.instagram.com/afffirmations/ .
While not necessarily an example of Dada art, I still feel that it has the same charm and fills a similar niche of responding to the stresses from our political and social climate that we are facing in our current day.
Moreover, I also feel that a lot of internet humor relies on a collaboration between many users — the joke doesn’t really work when it’s just one person. Eventually, the mishmash that is produced from many people adding onto a thread (such as the humor that evolves from the AITA Reddit threads, screenshots of Tumblr shenanigans/memes, compilation videos on Youtube) create an absurd collage that is a snapshot of what people are currently going through. Again, while not necessarily a Dadaist piece of art, I still feel that this form of art is a natural form of expression that people express when under the constant stress of trying to survive in our current hostile environment.
Categories: 403-MW
