Social media influencer Ka5sh to speak on the power of memes
Ka5sh (@ka5sh) is a LA based meme artist and rapper who makes a living off of creating memes, and incorporates meme-making into his art practice. He knows the secrets of how to amass a huge following on social media (for himself and other artists), using meme techniques. Ka5sh gave a lecture at UCLA about contemporary internet culture, social media and the power of memes, followed by a meme-making workshop teaching students how to create viral content.
"Professors don’t usually appreciate students checking their social media during lecture, but Ka5sh will encourage it during his upcoming lecture.
The UCLA design media arts department will host internet influencer, meme artist and rapper Ka5sh at a meme-making workshop Friday at the Broad Art Center. Ka5sh will also deliver a lecture on internet culture and building up a social media platform. The lecture will include a brief history of the evolution of memes and descriptions of various types of memes, Ka5sh said.
“There’re lots of different ways you can build up an account. … What I did may not work for everyone, but what someone else does may work,” Ka5sh said. “But I think the biggest part is just being involved in the community.”
Much of the meme and internet culture originated in Facebook groups before quickly spreading to other social media platforms, such as Twitter and Instagram, Ka5sh said. The accessibility of memes to massive audiences has continued to act as a catalyst for their growing acclaim, said Lena Weissbrot, a first-year MFA student in design media arts.
Ka5sh began looking at and making memes on Facebook in a subcommunity known as Weird Facebook, where he discovered internet artist and musician Alfred English, whose memes inspired him to try making his own. He began posting them on his own Facebook page and eventually started to receive feedback for them.
At the workshop, Ka5sh will teach strategies for making effective memes people can relate to and will want to share. Ka5sh said understanding the format of different types of memes and knowing which audiences they appeal to is important in reaching a larger following. For example, Ka5sh said the recent popularity of SpongeBob memes shows how relatable content, such as content derived from common childhood experiences and interests, can serve as a successful foundation for memes."— Deirdre Klena, Apr. 18, 2018
This post is an excerpt, read the full article on the Daily Bruin website.
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