Working on new strategy for describing and explaining meme images; CW: long (over 4,400 characters), Fediverse meta, alt-text meta, image description meta
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I'm working on a new meme-posting format.
I haven't posted a meme with an image since around the turn of the year, and a lot has happened since then. The reason why I've stopped posting meme images is because I decided to no longer post images with potential triggers such as eyes or faces in plain sight, but for Mastodon users, Hubzilla leaves me no choice but to post images in plain sight. Unless I want to make them go through the extra hassle, click/tap a link and open the image separately. I can post meme images now; I've got two (streams) channels for that, and (streams) can make Mastodon blank out sensitive images.
Over the past eight years, however, I've improved my image-describing technique some further and raised my own standards. For example, I've learned that memes need to be explained so that everyone gets them. At the same time, I'm aware that externally linked sources of information are not inclusive, only providing all needed information right with the image is.
Just like with my virtual world pictures, I have to explain absolutely everything that I can't assume to be common knowledge. And this can actually end up being even more than when I post a virtual world picture. I guess I don't have to go all the way and explain the whole history of everything and give examples at the same level as KnowYourMeme. But I can't link to any external sources either. I've already mentioned that everything must be explained in the same place as the image. Besides, KnowYourMeme as a Web site isn't as reliable as I remember it anymore.
So on the one hand, I don't have to go through the entire history of the "One Does Not Simply Walk Into Mordor" meme. On the other hand, in order for people to understand the explanation of this meme, I also have to explain what a snowclone is. And I have to explain what an image macro is. And I have to explain what an advice animal meme is. And I have to explain what Something Awful is so that people understand my snowclone and image macro explanation digressions. And I have to explain what 4chan is and what imageboards are so that people understand my image macro and advice animal explanation digressions.
So my first new meme post with an image will come with...
- a explanation of the template
- a digression with an explanation of snowclones
- a digression with an explanation of image macros
- a digression with an explanation of advice animals
- a digression with an explanation of Something Awful
- a digression with an explanation of 4chan
- an explanation of this particular image macro
- a digression with an explanation of nomadic identity and its history
...in the post text body, right below the embedded in-line image.
All in all, I expect the explanations to have some 15,000 characters.
Since the image macro is based on what's essentially a real-life photograph, and the explanations are not tied to any visual description of the image in the post, I'll probably only need one image description in the alt-text. And it'll probably be short enough to leave room for the text transcripts and the note that there is an explanation in the post. In fact, I only have one template based on OpenSim in-world pictures, and these are fairly simple.
The first new meme image post will take especially long because I have to write all explanations from scratch. Later meme posts will save time because I can at least copy-paste the necessary but already available digressions, and eventually, I guess I won't have to write new meme digressions anymore. When I re-use a template I've used before, I can re-use its entire template explanation as well, and I'll "only" have to explain the context.
The context explanation will always require quite some work and some time, though, regardless of whether I meme OpenSim or the Fediverse. I can never expect everyone who comes across one of my meme posts to be well-informed enough about the Fediverse to get the joke. As for OpenSim, I can hardly ever expect
anyone to know what I'm meming about.
I hope to be able to copy-paste a lot of context explanations later as well, but I can't count on that.
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