Common Sense vs "But that's none of my Business"

Contrary to popular belief, media content “going viral” is not a new phenomenon. According to Kevin Allocca, “Trends Manager” of YouTube, three things needs to happen in order for media content to go “viral”. They are: 1) the content is introduced into the mediascape by a “taste maker”, 2) community participation that creatively transforms original content, 3) the content must be “unexpected” or novel. One of the first media texts that went viral was a pamphlet called Common Sense written by Thomas Paine in the early 1770’s. “It was unquestionably the most popular and influential pamphlet of the American Revolution” (Standage 146). A more recent example of a text going viral is the “But that’s none of my business” meme with Kermit the Frog. The meme is used as to insult or disrespect an individual or a group of people. But the virality of social media in the 18^th century differs from that of social media in the 21^st century.

To understand the virality of these texts, it is useful to explore the two conceptual articulations of media modes of production. The first mode of communication includes: creation/production, distribution/circulation, and consumption/reception. How these articulations work for the Common Sense pamphlet was that it was written by Thomas Paine and it was printed in a newspaper and by multiple printers and booksellers (creation/production). His pamphlet was later recommended to others and as it spread further, it was read aloud in homes, shops, taverns, and coffee houses and was bought and read in newspapers (distribution/circulation). Through the distribution and circulation of the Common Sense text, it facilitated commentary from both supporters and critics (consumption/reception).

The second mode of articulation includes:  mode of communication, mode of affect, and mode of accumulation.  Common Sense was written with the intention of distributing Paine’s views on American independence (communication). The pamphlet had a huge impact on the views of others and essentially changed many American’s views towards independence (affect).  Because the pamphlet was so popular, many printers and booksellers were able to capitalize on Common Sense and Paine in turn, became one of the world’s best-selling authors.  

In terms of analyzing the “But that’s none of my business” meme through the first mode of articulation, the meme was first created on Instagram (or first posted) @thatsnoneofmybusiness (creation/production) and was then spread to other social media outlets including: twitter, tumblr, and YouTube (distribution/circulation) . It was then also consumed online, on social media and distributed and shared widely with the ability for others to create their own meme as well (consumption/reception). 

Looking at the second mode of articulation, the purpose of the meme is to again, insult or disrespect an individual or group of people while using Kermit the frog for the punchlines (communication). The meme grew in popularity through its relatability and through the calling out to specific people or groups (affect). The meme also extended itself to twitter as it also became a hashtag and as of June 2014, there have been 2,100 “kermitmemes” uploaded to Instagram (accumulation).

The virality of these to texts can be easily distinguished through the way in which the media text is shared. In the 18^th century, it was through newspapers, word of mouth, and letters informing others about the text. Today, virality is exemplified through the use of technology and the internet which allows users to share content at a click of a button.