DAT201: Artefact: Memes

The origin of the fandom behind My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic dates back to the days before the series first aired on the 10th of October, 2010: several users on the /co/ board of 4chan discussed, and built up anticipation of the series before it aired, although it wasn't until an alarmist essay being critical of the current trends of animation in general, and the fact that many were merely promotional tools to drive sales of toys in a given franchise, was then published, (and subsequently, was harshly criticised) which then lead to more anticipation being given for the series, and memes being created for the series.

When the series first aired, it went against everything the critical essay said about animation, and as a result, the brony phenomenon was born. Itself a meme, the series then generated more memes as the series progressed on: common phrases such as '20% cooler', said by athletic Pegasus character Rainbow Dash, 'everypony', '10 seconds flat', 'oatmeal' and 'eyyup' became commonplace on 4chan, and later spread further afield on the internet as the fandom expanded beyond the confines of 4chan.

Due to the fact that the series does have popular culture references that only the older audience would understand, I've noted that memes could be based on the references that are made in the series, such as the baby on the ceiling in Season 2, Episode 13 (Baby Cakes), which references the 1996 Danny Boyle classic film, Trainspotting, and Metal Gear Solid in Season 2, Episode 20 (It's About Time).

DAT201: essay summary, ponies, artefact ideas and how to make it all complete like magic

During my research on hacktivism and tactical media, I've noticed something that may seem quite out of the ordinary for a research topic, especially for the latter, but whilst I was exploring that area, I've found something very intriguing that boosted my research, and as a result, I've understood the culture of it a lot more, and became part of it at the same time. Now, in terms of tactical media, you'd not normally expect the presence of multi-coloured equines to appear in such form, even on a website that is arguably well known for its tactical media (4chan), and the memes that resulted from it, but since the 10th of October 2010, postings of pictures from the new animated TV series of the My Little Pony franchise, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, became commonplace.

This then resulted in one of the fastest-growing fandoms in the world, especially considering that the huge majority of fans, never before experienced in MLP's nearly 30-year old history, are male (female fans exist as well), and are mostly between the ages of 13 through to the 30s. The phenomenon even went as far as to spread worldwide in many forms of media, and outside of 4chan as well, as a result of a ban that resulted from a 'flame war' (since lifted) in early 2011. The birth of bronies (from a portmanteau of 'bro' and 'pony') has resulted in an increase in the usage of a form of tactical media, but rather than being used for a political cause (as many past examples show), it is being used to promote the TV series, and to recruit more people into the fandom.

An idea I had for an artefact was to produce a series of posters referencing MLP, but done in a subtle way like most forms of guerrilla communications, whilst another was to explore the possibilities of performing interventions in digital spaces. However, it then came to my mind that I wanted to actually take the research I've done in my essay, and transform it into a sort of 'cook book', or manual, to show brony digital artists on how to apply digital arts practices used in tactical media to promote the TV series, the fandom, and the mantra: "Love and Tolerance", which fits perfectly for not just the fandom, but also world problems as well, because in this world, there doesn't seem to be enough love and tolerance, given today's political and economic climate.