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Moonwalkingtogether: Tracing Redditors’ digital memory work on Michael Jackson
- Source :
- Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 27(6), 1811-1832. SAGE Publishing
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- SAGE Publications, 2021.
-
Abstract
- This article investigates the memory work concerning Michael Jackson on Reddit. By means of their posts, comments, and replies, people contributing to this site – Redditors – enter into a process we call mnemonic stabilization. This is a collaborative process in which networked individuals share their memories about, in this case, Michael Jackson. We argue that this process resembles Jackson’s dance technique called moonwalking: Redditors seem to go back in time, but they continually alter how Jackson is remembered and forgotten, depending on the (personal) context of the present and an imagined future. These theoretical observations are assessed empirically by a content analysis of comments and replies ( N = 917) posted on the subreddit /r/MichaelJackson between June 25, 2009, and December 31, 2018. This revealed that most posts with a mnemonic dimension focus on personal memories of Michael Jackson’s music, performances, and (perceived) positive characteristics, rather than on how he should be remembered. These findings can be partially explained by Reddit’s socio-technical infrastructure.
- Subjects :
- Cognitive science
Computer science
Communication
05 social sciences
Process (computing)
050801 communication & media studies
Semiconductor memory
Tracing
0506 political science
0508 media and communications
Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Work (electrical)
050602 political science & public administration
Memory work
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 17487382 and 13548565
- Volume :
- 27
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....95388febd53b924147551f5f7fd8614c