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UNPREDICTABLE MEMES: Speculative Futures of meme creators' ownership through the Lens of Disruptive Technologies

Yan, Winter (2023) UNPREDICTABLE MEMES: Speculative Futures of meme creators' ownership through the Lens of Disruptive Technologies. Masters thesis, OCAD University.

Item Type: Thesis
Creators: Yan, Winter
Abstract:

Unpredictable Memes explores the impact of technological change on the creation and propagation of memes in contemporary digital culture and envisions a possible future for the meme creator’s ownership. In this thesis, I begin with a historical and economic review to delve into technological movements and trends on social media in the attention economy, highlighting how Artificial Intelligence(AI) algorithms and Blockchain technologies disrupt the monetization of memes in ways that affect the ownership. Considering the legal and ethical segments of the potential future of meme monetization, the review of copyright and ownership of human and AI-created memes. I employ Economic Constructivism and Participatory Speculation as methodologies to collaboratively imagine both optimistic and dark future scenarios with experts from different fields related to memes, to create an interactive documentary that depicts the evolution of meme creators and the proposed vision of their future. Through this study, I speculate that in the future, AI algorithms will present new opportunities to catalyze human creativity for meme creators and to think of what creators should do to avoid homogenization of creativity, while Blockchain technologies will open up possibilities for emerging communities where meme creators can reshape ownership and scarcity in valuing creativity.

Date: 1 May 2023
Uncontrolled Keywords: Digital Artifacts, Attention Economy, Creator Ownership, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Participatory Speculation
Divisions: Graduate Studies > Digital Futures
Date Deposited: 05 May 2023 18:43
Last Modified: 05 May 2023 18:43
URI: https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/4085

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