38 UNITE: VOL.1 (NO.2) / December 2014 / ISSN: 2335-0628 / UDK: 004.738.5:004.435 University journal of Information Technology and Economics Available online: http://www.unite.edu.rs/ System for submission: http://www.unite.edu.rs/ojs NEW LANGUAGE MEDIA: INTERNET MEMES MANUSCRIPT Aldin Rastić, Samina Dazdarević, Fahreta Fijuljanin Department of Philology, University of Novi Pazar, Dimitrija Tucovića bb, 36300 Novi Pazar, Serbia, a.rastic@uninp.edu.rs, samina.d@uninp.edu.rs, fahretaf@hotmail.com Article Info Article history: Received 01 Sep.2014 Received in revised form 29 Dec 2014 Keywords: Internet meme, rage comics, Internet humor, new media, 9gag Abstract The aim of this research paper is to investigate and explain how the Internet memes work and influence day to day life. The first part will concentrate on defining the Internet memes; we will provide a classification of memes depending on their contents and meaning in the other part of this paper. As these memes belong to a larger phenomenon, so-called Internet humor, we will explore some aspects and factors why these meme have become popular and recognizable all over the world. We believe that understanding them offers a better understanding of the Internet language and new media culture. INTRODUCTION In his book A brief history of the future: the origins of the Internet, John Naughton comments: “The Internet is one of the most remarkable things human beings have ever made. In terms of its impact on society, it ranks with print, the railways, the telegraph, the automobile, electric power and television. Some would equate it with print and television, the two earlier technologies which most transformed the communications environment in which people live. Yet it potentially more powerful than both because it harnesses the intellectual leverage which print gave to mankind without being hobbled by the one-to-many nature of broadcast television” (Crystal, 2001, p. 7). On the other hand, there are those who argue whether the Internet has brought more good or bad. New technologies have always been followed by fear and doubt as it was the case with printing which emerged in the fifteenth century. People, especially those involved in religion at that time, thought that the idea of giving books to common people was a deed of devil as this would lead people astray, filth their minds and push them away from religion. Even four centuries later, there is an ongoing debate in terms of censorship, what is to be seen and read. Governments all over the world try to restrict the flow of information and reduce general awareness of people. However, with the appearance of new mobile and tablet devices, it is almost impossible to ban people from posting on Tweeter, Facebook, Youtube and other social networks. Even though the situation looks very serious and intricate, more and more people use the Internet just for fun since it provides a high variety of video, pictures and audio files. Linguists have come up with a new term for such group, so- called netizens (net+citizen). They spend a lot of free time on the Internet in order to entertain themselves and keep their minds off everyday problems and routines. The latest trend apart from Facebook and Tweeter are the meme sites. Meme (/ˈmiːm/ is an element of a culture or system of behavior passed from one individual to another by imitation or other non-genetic means but also an image, video, piece of text, etc., typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by Internet users, often with slight variations. Memes are usually connected with the latest news, any kind of event either political or showbiz. They are very simple in form but nevertheless deal with serious social problems that people face all over the world. Limor Shifman, communication researcher, in her book Memes in digital culture states: