Post #2: Features of the Amish Community



For my research, I have narrowed my selection to the Amish community and their use of media depicted by memes and how the media sees the Amish depicted through memes. Focusing on identity is crucial to the research because I will see how this community will be identified by the media through memes.  Dr. Heidi Campbell states in her book Digital Religion, “Thus the ‘authentic self’ represented through digital media becomes simultaneously more ‘real’ and more ‘edited’ than in face – to – face settings (Campbell, 2013, pg. 45). Since the internet is where users get their most of their information, the information becomes more and more real on the internet just like Dr. Campbell states.
 Finding images and memes has resulted in using google images. My search results for finding these images has been using phrases such words as “Amish” and “media”. Furthermore, I have been looking at images that should have the Amish community.
The Amish community has a strong tie towards their community.  New innovations that are introduced into their society needs to be discussed as a group. In the second meme with the wording of “Gets news from mainstream media”, the entire family looks like they get their news from all the same source. If the father of the family gets news through a specific outlet, then the rest of the family will have that same outlet for news. Furthermore, there is a carriage loosely hidden behind the family. The carriage represents the conservative values placed in the community. There are no smartphones, tablets, or expensive vehicles in these memes and due to these absences, the Amish desire to keep a non-progressive value in their community.
The Amish are also believed to be ruled by the men in the community. In the first meme with “Cellphone… too mainstream”, there is an older man who does not approve of the cellphones with his arms crossed. The meme depicts that men lead the society and make the final decisions within the community.
          All in all, I see religion in this case study to be comical. Finding memes about the Amish and their use with the media has resulted in religion being viewed as humorous and relaxed.




http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/7e/7ebef5f76c975d304b72c348bb16534a76b720eb7ced5e59211513f24434d3b4.jpg

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/01/0136aac40c9423b559b02ca1362a66cfe662f6916820464ae3b30ce41dff220c.jpg

Comments

  1. Soup Twin-1October 24, 2017 at 8:28 AM

    Good observations and reflection. Make sure to comment individually on each new meme you post so you have a record of the emerging analysis in your case study.

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