The Official Dictionary of memes: a multimodal project

Abstract

The Official Dictionary of Memes (ODM) is a multimodal project consisting of a non-traditional dictionary that will include images, videos, GIFs and sounds of the most popular memes that can be found nowadays on webpages and social media. The main purpose of this project will be to build bridges between generations when it comes to Internet culture, in particular in the creation and use of memes. As an academic project, the first part will describe the type of dictionary presented, including its details and characteristics in terms of mode, target audience and structure. In the second part of the presentation, the criteria by which the nomenclature of the dictionary will be chosen will also be discussed. In addition, it will be explained the methodology used to collect and build the dictionary entries with the most up-to-date and frequent memes found on social networks and meme pages. In the third part, the selection of sources and their references will be justified. Furthermore, their presentation and how reliability is ensured will be explained. In the fourth part, it will be discussed how the information will be displayed in the dictionary. To do so, it will deal on the one hand with the microstructure, in which it will be explained the deeper structure of the entries, and on the other hand with the macrostructure, in which it will be exposed the surface format of the entries together with the selected abbreviations and symbols that will be found in each one. Examples of entries with graphical content will be presented, as well as the model webpage of the dictionary, for a better understanding of the project. Finally, the bibliographical references used will be presented.