An Introduction to MeME
We are here to learn about the internet, be a part of the internet, and create more internet to inhabit. This isn’t about one part or the other. MeME encompasses everything the internet is and can be at the time of this class. We’re covering concept, code, and design. We’re making it happen.
The University of Illinois helped begin the internet back in the [years here] when interconnectivity at the level it is today was but a dream. Today [number] users daily pass through the tubes so lovingly created by Al Gore to get their fix of news, humor, homework cheats, and social blahdeblah. Any information they need can be found there. If it isn’t, they can put it onto the net.
a word from jess:
"just like a print designer, a web designer must be familiar with the tools to create internet media. that’s where the code comes in. using XHTML and CSS, the student will learn how to execute ideas in a standards-compliant, accessible manner.
traditional design principles apply to the web as in any other medium. elements such as hierarchy, composition, typography and readability will all be covered extensively.
concept is by far the most important element of web design. with a strong concept, aesthetic design and proper coding follow naturally. strong concepts build communities, generate traffic and propagate messages.
this course will largely focus on the creation of internet memes and their effect on internet culture. if the next focus of the internet is building communities, then we should explore what makes information travel quickly to bring those communities together.
Memetic Media Encyclopedia is a creative commons licensed aggregate of memetic explorations and commentary about the process of creating a meme. each day, artd 313a students will receive a topic around which they will build memettes (short explorations into potentially replicable pieces of internet culture). they will use these exercises to practice CSS skills covered in lecture."