Using Collaborative Gaming to Engage Arab Youth in Cultural Memes
Keywords:
Social Media, Cultural Memes, Arab Youth, Arabic Identity, Arab Spring, Flow Theory, Collaborative Flow, Collaborative GamesAbstract
This paper examines the use of cultural memes on social media platforms as a tool for engaging Arab youth in Arabic culture and a method of cultural transmission among youth. Engagement in the creation, publishing and promotion of memes can be accomplished if the youth involved in the early stages of the creation process can be trained so that they become highly skilled at the task and at the same time are presented with challenges that match their skills, and have clear goals and measurable outcomes. The paper draws on flow theory’s premise that a state of total absorption, ‘flow’, can be attained in a game-like environment were the actors are highly skilled and the challenge matches their skill set. By combining the viral properties of memes and their ability to transmit cultural content with the strength of engagement that a state of flow can create, the basis for a framework solution to engage youth in cultural content by creating memes in a collaborative game-like environment requires: (1) upskilling the youth involved in the creation of the memes; (2) consulting with local community elders and leaders in the initial storytelling; and (3) designing a game-like environment as a multi-phased competition that requires using the skills attained to perform difficult challenges and that promises rewards in the context of cultural stature and local and regional recognition.
References
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Admiraal, W., Huizenga, J., Akkerman, S., & Ten Dam, G. (2011). The concept of flow in collaborative game-based learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 27 (3), 1185-1194.
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Arab memes on Instagram. (2015). Retrieved from https://instagram.com/explore/tags/arabmemes
Asakawa, K. (2004). Flow experience and autotelic personality in Japanese college students: How do they experience challenges in daily life? Journal of Happiness Studies, 5(2), 123-1544.
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller. (2014). 7th annual ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller Arab youth survey. Retrieved from http://www.arabyouthsurvey.com/
Atran, S. (2001). The trouble with memes. Human Nature, 12(4), 351-381.
Bennett, W. L. (2008). Changing citizenship in the digital age. In W. L. Bennett (Ed.), Civic life online: Learning how digital media can engage youth (pp. 1-24) Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Bisin, A., & Verdier, T. (2001). The economics of cultural transmission and the dynamics of preferences. Journal of Economic Theory, 97, 298-319.
Blackmore, S. (1999). The meme machine. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Brodie, R. (1996). Virus of the mind: The new science of the meme. Seattle, WA: Integral Press.
Cavalli-Sforza, L., Feldman, M. W., Chen, K. H., & Dornbusch, S. M. (1982). Theory and observation in cultural transmission. Science, 218(4567), 19-27.
Checkoway, B. (2011). What is youth participation? Children and Youth Services Review, 33(2),340-345.
Conte, R. (2000). Memes through (social) minds. Darwinizing culture: The status of memetics as a science, 83-120.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975). Beyond boredom and anxiety. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York, NY: Harper and Row.
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Eltantawy, N. & Wiest, J. (2011). The Arab Spring social media in the Egyptian Revolution: Reconsidering resource mobilization theory. International Journal of Communication, 5 (18), 1208 – 1224.
Esposti E. D. (2013). The new memes of the Egyptian revolution. Retrieved from http://www.thearabreview.org/egyptian-revolution-30-jun
Fauad, W. (2009). Facebook and the Arab youth: Social activism or cultural liberation. Arab Insight, Vol. 3, 91-99.
Fuller, S. (Writer). (2014). Arab Idol [Television series]. Dubai, United Arab Emirates: MBC.
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Herrera, L. (2009). Is" Youth" Being Addressed in Important and Distinctive Ways in Middle East Studies?(posed by Fida Adely). International Journal of Middle East Studies, 41(3), 368.
Hofstadter, D. (1981). Metamagical themas. Scientific American, 245(3), 409-415.
Howard, P. N., & Hussain, M. (2011). The role of digital media. Journal of Democracy, 22(3), 35-48.
Kaye, L. K. (2016). Exploring flow experiences in cooperative digital gaming contexts. Computers in Human Behavior, 55, 286-291.
Khalaf, S., & Khalaf, R. S. (2012). Arab Youth: Social Mobilisation in Times of Risk. Saqi.
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Le Arab Memes (2015). Retrieved from http://le-arab-memes.tumblr.com/
Lim, M. (2012). Clicks, cabs, and coffee houses: Social media and oppositional movements in Egypt, 2004-2011. Journal of Communication, 62(2), 231-248.
Loader, B. (2007). Introduction: Young citizens in the digital age: Disaffected or displaced? In B. Loader (Ed.), Young citizens in the digital age: Political engagement, young people and new media, pp. 1-18. New York: Routledge.
Loader, B. D., & Mercea, D. (2011) Networking Democracy? Information, Communication & Society, 14 (6), 757-769.
Maalouf, A. (1984). The crusades through Arab eyes. New York, NY: Random House Digital.
Maalouf, A. (2000). Deadly identities. London, UK: Harvill.
Maalouf, A. (2001). In the name of identity: Violence and the need to belong. New York, NY: Arcade.
Maalouf, A. (2011). On identity. New York, NY: Random House.
Mcquillan, D. (2011). New social networks with old technology: What the Egyptian shutdown tells us about social media. Retrieved from www.internetartizans.co.uk/socnets_with_old_tech_egypt
Morozov, E. (2011). The net delusion: The dark side of Internet freedom. New York, NY: Public Affairs.
Murphy, E. C. (2012). Problematizing Arab youth: Generational narratives of systemic failure. Mediterranean Politics, 17(1), 5-22.
Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2002). The concept of flow. In Lopez, S. J., & Snyder, C. R. (Ed.). Handbook of Positive Psychology, 89-105. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Pace, S. (2004). A grounded theory of the flow experiences of web users. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 60(3), 327-363.
Postman, N. (2000). The humanism of media ecology. Proceedings of the Media Ecology Association, 1, 10-16.
Pratt, M. L. (1991). Arts of the contact zone. Profession, 33-40.
Sa, E., Teixeira, J., & Fernandes, C. (2007). Towards a collaborative learning flow pattern using educational games in learning activities. World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education, 1, 6483-6488.
Schlozman, K. L., Verba, S., & Brady, H. E. (2010). Weapon of the strong? Participatory inequality and the Internet. Perspectives on Politics, 8(2), 487-509. Retrieved from http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S1537592710001210
Shifman, L. (2012). An anatomy of a YouTube meme. New Media and Society, 14(2), 187-203. doi:10.1177/1461444811412160
Shifman, L. (2013). Memes in a digital world: Reconciling with a conceptual troublemaker. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 18(3), 362-377.
Shirky, C. (2008). Here comes everybody: The power of organizing without organizations. London, England: Allen Lane.
Sperber, D. (1985). Anthropology and psychology. Man, 20, 73-89.
Staeheli, L., & Nagel, C. R. (2013). Whose awakening is it? Youth and the geopolitics of civic engagement in the ‘Arab Awakening’. European Urban and Regional Studies, 20(1), 115-119.
Tamari, S. (2008). Mountain against the sea: Essays on Palestinian society and culture. Oakland, CA: University of California Press.
Tarawnah, N. (2011). “Jordanian Youth are ‘Disengaged’ from Politics” MidEastPosts. August 2, 2011. Retrieved from http://mideastposts.com/middle-east-politics-analysis/jordanian-youth-are-disengaged-from-politics/
Thompson, G. (2012). Electronic Kairos. New Media and the Politics of Online Communities, 3 - 11.
Xenos, M., Vromen, A., & Loader, B. D. (2014). The great equalizer? Patterns of social media use and youth political engagement in three advanced democracies. Information, Communication & Society, 17(2), 151-167.
York, J. (2012). Middle East memes: A guide. Retrieved from www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/apr/20/middle-east-memes-guide
#Youstink Facebook Page (2015). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/tol3etre7etkom
Abdulla R. (2011). The revolution will be tweeted: The story of digital activism in Egypt. The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, 3, 4-50.
Admiraal, W., Huizenga, J., Akkerman, S., & Ten Dam, G. (2011). The concept of flow in collaborative game-based learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 27 (3), 1185-1194.
Al-Hasan, H. (2015). Social protest in Iraq and reality of the internal Shia dispute. Retrieved from http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/reports/2015/08/20158307585163273.htm
Arab memes on Facebook. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/ArabMemes
Arab memes on Instagram. (2015). Retrieved from https://instagram.com/explore/tags/arabmemes
Asakawa, K. (2004). Flow experience and autotelic personality in Japanese college students: How do they experience challenges in daily life? Journal of Happiness Studies, 5(2), 123-1544.
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller. (2014). 7th annual ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller Arab youth survey. Retrieved from http://www.arabyouthsurvey.com/
Atran, S. (2001). The trouble with memes. Human Nature, 12(4), 351-381.
Bennett, W. L. (2008). Changing citizenship in the digital age. In W. L. Bennett (Ed.), Civic life online: Learning how digital media can engage youth (pp. 1-24) Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Bisin, A., & Verdier, T. (2001). The economics of cultural transmission and the dynamics of preferences. Journal of Economic Theory, 97, 298-319.
Blackmore, S. (1999). The meme machine. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Brodie, R. (1996). Virus of the mind: The new science of the meme. Seattle, WA: Integral Press.
Cavalli-Sforza, L., Feldman, M. W., Chen, K. H., & Dornbusch, S. M. (1982). Theory and observation in cultural transmission. Science, 218(4567), 19-27.
Checkoway, B. (2011). What is youth participation? Children and Youth Services Review, 33(2),340-345.
Conte, R. (2000). Memes through (social) minds. Darwinizing culture: The status of memetics as a science, 83-120.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975). Beyond boredom and anxiety. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York, NY: Harper and Row.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.
Dahdal, S. (2013). Al Jazeera, Bab Al Hara, and social media in the resurrection of Arab nationalism. In R. D. Berenger (Ed.), Social media go to war, pp. 63-79. Washington, WA: Marquette Books.
Dawkins, R. (1976). The selfish gene. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Dawkins, R. (1982). The extended phenotype. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Distin, K. (2005). The selfish meme: A critical reassessment. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Eltantawy, N. & Wiest, J. (2011). The Arab Spring social media in the Egyptian Revolution: Reconsidering resource mobilization theory. International Journal of Communication, 5 (18), 1208 – 1224.
Esposti E. D. (2013). The new memes of the Egyptian revolution. Retrieved from http://www.thearabreview.org/egyptian-revolution-30-jun
Fauad, W. (2009). Facebook and the Arab youth: Social activism or cultural liberation. Arab Insight, Vol. 3, 91-99.
Fuller, S. (Writer). (2014). Arab Idol [Television series]. Dubai, United Arab Emirates: MBC.
Gergely, G. & Csibra, G. (2006). Sylvia's recipe: The role of imitation and pedagogy in the transmission of cultural knowledge. In Danziger, E., Levinson, S., & Enfield, N. Roots of Human Sociality: Culture, Cognition, and Human Interaction, 229-255. Oxford, UK: Oxford: Berg Publishers.
Gladwell, M. & Shirky, C. (2011). From innovation to revolution. Do social media make protests possible? Foreign Affairs, 90(2), 153-154.
Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond culture. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press.
Herrera, L. (2009). Is" Youth" Being Addressed in Important and Distinctive Ways in Middle East Studies?(posed by Fida Adely). International Journal of Middle East Studies, 41(3), 368.
Hofstadter, D. (1981). Metamagical themas. Scientific American, 245(3), 409-415.
Howard, P. N., & Hussain, M. (2011). The role of digital media. Journal of Democracy, 22(3), 35-48.
Kaye, L. K. (2016). Exploring flow experiences in cooperative digital gaming contexts. Computers in Human Behavior, 55, 286-291.
Khalaf, S., & Khalaf, R. S. (2012). Arab Youth: Social Mobilisation in Times of Risk. Saqi.
Khanfar, W. (2011). A historic moment in the Arab world. Retrieved from www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/wadah_khanfar_a_historic_moment_in_the_arab_world.html
Le Arab Memes (2015). Retrieved from http://le-arab-memes.tumblr.com/
Lim, M. (2012). Clicks, cabs, and coffee houses: Social media and oppositional movements in Egypt, 2004-2011. Journal of Communication, 62(2), 231-248.
Loader, B. (2007). Introduction: Young citizens in the digital age: Disaffected or displaced? In B. Loader (Ed.), Young citizens in the digital age: Political engagement, young people and new media, pp. 1-18. New York: Routledge.
Loader, B. D., & Mercea, D. (2011) Networking Democracy? Information, Communication & Society, 14 (6), 757-769.
Maalouf, A. (1984). The crusades through Arab eyes. New York, NY: Random House Digital.
Maalouf, A. (2000). Deadly identities. London, UK: Harvill.
Maalouf, A. (2001). In the name of identity: Violence and the need to belong. New York, NY: Arcade.
Maalouf, A. (2011). On identity. New York, NY: Random House.
Mcquillan, D. (2011). New social networks with old technology: What the Egyptian shutdown tells us about social media. Retrieved from www.internetartizans.co.uk/socnets_with_old_tech_egypt
Morozov, E. (2011). The net delusion: The dark side of Internet freedom. New York, NY: Public Affairs.
Murphy, E. C. (2012). Problematizing Arab youth: Generational narratives of systemic failure. Mediterranean Politics, 17(1), 5-22.
Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2002). The concept of flow. In Lopez, S. J., & Snyder, C. R. (Ed.). Handbook of Positive Psychology, 89-105. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Pace, S. (2004). A grounded theory of the flow experiences of web users. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 60(3), 327-363.
Postman, N. (2000). The humanism of media ecology. Proceedings of the Media Ecology Association, 1, 10-16.
Pratt, M. L. (1991). Arts of the contact zone. Profession, 33-40.
Sa, E., Teixeira, J., & Fernandes, C. (2007). Towards a collaborative learning flow pattern using educational games in learning activities. World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education, 1, 6483-6488.
Schlozman, K. L., Verba, S., & Brady, H. E. (2010). Weapon of the strong? Participatory inequality and the Internet. Perspectives on Politics, 8(2), 487-509. Retrieved from http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S1537592710001210
Shifman, L. (2012). An anatomy of a YouTube meme. New Media and Society, 14(2), 187-203. doi:10.1177/1461444811412160
Shifman, L. (2013). Memes in a digital world: Reconciling with a conceptual troublemaker. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 18(3), 362-377.
Shirky, C. (2008). Here comes everybody: The power of organizing without organizations. London, England: Allen Lane.
Sperber, D. (1985). Anthropology and psychology. Man, 20, 73-89.
Staeheli, L., & Nagel, C. R. (2013). Whose awakening is it? Youth and the geopolitics of civic engagement in the ‘Arab Awakening’. European Urban and Regional Studies, 20(1), 115-119.
Tamari, S. (2008). Mountain against the sea: Essays on Palestinian society and culture. Oakland, CA: University of California Press.
Tarawnah, N. (2011). “Jordanian Youth are ‘Disengaged’ from Politics” MidEastPosts. August 2, 2011. Retrieved from http://mideastposts.com/middle-east-politics-analysis/jordanian-youth-are-disengaged-from-politics/
Thompson, G. (2012). Electronic Kairos. New Media and the Politics of Online Communities, 3 - 11.
Xenos, M., Vromen, A., & Loader, B. D. (2014). The great equalizer? Patterns of social media use and youth political engagement in three advanced democracies. Information, Communication & Society, 17(2), 151-167.
York, J. (2012). Middle East memes: A guide. Retrieved from www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/apr/20/middle-east-memes-guide
#Youstink Facebook Page (2015). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/tol3etre7etkom
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2016-12-23
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