Digital technology allows spreadable content to circulate quickly and efficiently between discourse communities. In order for digital media to circulate, the content must be placed on the correct network platforms, so it can gain viewer attention. JIFs fuse popular culture with humor instantly grabbing the viewers attention. When posting them on popular social media platforms, such as Tumbler, Twitter, and BuzzFeed, JIFs grab and hold the attention of the discourse communities within each platform. JIFs are circulated between discourse communities through the use of hashtags.
#justin timberlake #jimmy fallon #hashtag
The use of hashtags is a great attention-grabber technique. It draws attention to the digital media though the use of popular hashtags that also relate to the content. The digital media below was posted on a network platform titled “WiffleGif.” The site contains popular JIFs that are categorized by the same hashtags. The content is considered spreadable media because it portrays creative expression using popular culture. Adorable animals, such as cats, quickly gains popularity through discourse communities, especially if they are doing something funny as well. By using a general statement, such as ‘deal with it,’ #Dealwithit provides space for openness and ambiguity, which allows viewer interpretation and spreadability between communities. The hashtags used for this JIF were #lol, #cute, #funny, #cats, and #swag. These are examples of effective circulation because they are common hashtags that relate to the content.
Maria Grbavac 