(DİJİTAL) BENLİK SUNUMUNUN DEĞİŞEN SAHNESİ: İNTERNET MEMLERİ VE BARBENHEİMER

Year 2025, Volume: 15 Issue: 2, 458 - 475

Can Cengiz

https://doi.org/10.7456/tojdac.1614974

Abstract

İnternetin ve sosyal medya ağlarının her geçen gün genişleyen etki alanı bireysel temsillerin de dijitalleşmesini beraberinde getirmektedir. Sanal ve sanal olmayan (reel) dünya arasındaki sınırların belirsizleştiği bu yeni yapı, içerik üretimi bağlamında da üretici ve tüketici arasındaki ayrımı ortadan kaldırmaktadır. Üretken bir ağın özelliklerini taşıyan söz konusu ‘dijital evren’, yaratıcılığı teşvik ederken, bir sistem olarak erişilebilir, akışkan, kolayca aktarılabilir ve uyarlanabilir içerikler eliyle dijitalleşmiş bir iletişim ortamını mümkün kılmaktadır. Bu dijitalleşmiş ortak alanın en önemli unsurlarından biri de, genelde metin ve görsel unsurların birlikteliğinden oluşan, tekrarlar ve uyarlamalarla iş gören internet memleridir. İlgili akademik literatür bağlamında özelikle siyasal-toplumsal hareketler veya reklamcılık-pazarlama alanı çerçevesinde inceleme konusu yapılan memler, kullanıcıların kültürel tercihleri, arzu ve beklentilerini de içerecek bir biçimde (dijital) benliğin sunumu açısından yeterince ele alınmamış, büyük oranda selfie ve bedenin temsili çalışmaları ile sınırlı kalmıştır. Aynı tarihte (21 Temmuz 2023) vizyona giren ve gişe rekorlarının yanı sıra birçok tartışmayı da beraberinde getiren Barbie ve Openheimer filmleri, sinema izleyicileri ile başlayan, giderek daha geniş kitleleri de etkileyen yeni bir konseptin doğuşunu sağlamıştır. Her iki filmin isimlerinin birleştirilmesi ile oluşan Barbenheimer ifadesi, başta Twitter (X) olmak üzere sosyal medyada yapılan paylaşımlarda dijital benlik sunumunun aracısı haline gelmiştir. Temmuz 2023’den günümüze kadar gelen bu yeni konsept ve çerçeve, internet memlerinin kullanımı özelinde araştırmamızın konusunu oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmamız Barbenheimer anahtar sözcüğünü içeren 250 adet Tweet üzerine gerçekleştirilen içerik analizi ve gelişmekte olan literatürden hareketle internet memleri, görsel iletişim ve dijital benlik ilişkisinin akışkan ve değişen doğasına odaklanacaktır.

Keywords

İnternet Memleri, Benlik Sunumu, Barbenheimer, Dijital Benlik, Görsel İletişim

THE CHANGING STAGE OF (DIGITAL) SELF-PRESENTATION: INTERNET MEMES AND THE BARBENHEIMER

Abstract

The expanding influence of the internet and social media networks increasingly digitizes individual representations. This new structure, where the boundaries between the virtual and non-virtual (real) worlds blur, also eliminates the distinction between producer and consumer in the context of content creation. This digital universe, characterized by the features of a productive network, fosters creativity while enabling a digitized communication environment through accessible, fluid, easily transferable, and adaptable content as a system. One of the most significant elements of this digitalized shared space is internet memes, which generally consist of a combination of textual and visual elements and function through repetition and adaptation. Memes, which are studied within the framework of political-social movements or advertising and marketing in the relevant academic literature, have not been sufficiently addressed in terms of (digital) self-presentation, including users’ cultural preferences, desires, and expectations. Instead, the focus has largely been limited to studies on selfies and representations of the body. The simultaneous release of the films Barbie and Oppenheimer on July 21, 2023, not only broke box office records but also sparked numerous debates, giving rise to a new concept that originated among cinema audiences and gradually influenced broader audiences. The term Barbenheimer, created by combining the names of these two films, became a medium for digital self-presentation, particularly on social media platforms such as Twitter (now X). This new concept and framework, which has persisted since July 2023, constitutes the focus of our study, specifically in the context of the use of internet memes. Our research focuses on the fluid and evolving nature of the relationship between internet memes, visual communication, and digital self-presentation, based on a content analysis of 250 tweets containing the keyword Barbenheimer and drawing on the emerging literature.

Keywords

Internet Memes, Self-Presentation, Barbenheimer, Digital Self, Visual Communication

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