Towards memetic legitimation of knowledge: memes and cultural heritage

Abstract

Introduction. We introduce legitimation practices through Know Your Meme documenting the high-profile sex-trafficking and suicide ruling of Jeffrey Epstein.

Method. Using netnography, we analyse legitimation discourse provided by the six authors reported previous knowledge and what Know Your Meme legitimised about memetic knowledge, the website, and the Epstein case and surrounding conspiracy.

Analysis. Our preliminary analysis suggests that legitimation discourse is a valuable netnographic methodology to understand how documentation both technically and textually establishes ‘authoritative’ contexts for memetic and conspiracy theoretic content. We have found that Van Leeuwen’s categories of legitimation function in relation to self-reported claims about cultural heritage sites such as Know Your Meme’s archival and narrative accounts of memetic meaning.

Conclusion. Our work begins filling two gaps in contemporary digital information environments. Firstly, we begin to close the gap between netnography and cultural heritage sites such as archives, repositories, and so forth. Secondly, we contribute diverse individual legitimations of memetic content. Future work will develop more rich interpretations of what is legitimated by Know Your Meme. Additionally, we compare individual participants’ legitimation process relative to their prior reported knowledge.