<p> Following a brief lecture on Project Chanology, the question will be posed: how can we harness the power of lulzy virality, of pleasure, of trickery, of spectacular trolling for purposes above and beyond sharing the wisdom of Advice Dog? It’ll start with a brief look at great activist media in the past, from Guernica and the picture of the whole Earth to projects by the Yes Men – how they spread ideas and helped people get informed, organize, and act. What makes the creation of lulzy memes different? Learn about how to create exploitable forms and rapid variations, and mechanisms for bringing the best stuff forward. Can we make media memes with goals beyond lulz, and teach activists who’ve never heard of 4chan to make them too? </p> <p> Part lecture, part workshop, this will feature cameos by Rageguy, Pablo Picasso, V, alt.pave.the.earth, Kathe Kollwitz, Courage Wolf, Stewart Brand, Sarah Palin, Batman, Goya, Philosoraptor, Adolf Hitler, Trollface, Shepard Fairey, Joseph Ducreux, David Cameron, lots of Spartan warriors, and lots and lots of (trollish) cats. </p>
<p> <strong> Finn Brunton </strong> is a postdoctoral researcher in Media, Culture, and Communication at NYU. He works on the history and politics of digital media and is writing a book about spam. </p>
<p> <strong> Gabriella Coleman </strong> is an assistant professor in NYU’s Department of Media, Culture, and Communication. She specializes in the anthropology of computer hacking and digital activism and is completing a book manuscript “Coding Freedom: Hacker Pleasure and the Ethics of Free and Open Source Software.” </p>