# 🛡️ Bridging gaps in image meme research: A multidisciplinary paradigm

**Daniel A. Friedman, R.J. Cordes, Mridula Mascarenhas** (2024) · *JASIST*

[![DOI](https://img.shields.io/badge/DOI-10.1002%2Fasi.24900-blue)](https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24900)

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## Abstract

> This paper presents a multidisciplinary framework, the Digital Rhetorical Ecosystem (DRE3), for scaling up qualitative analyses of image memes, examining them as quasi-arguments that influence public narratives on political and social issues. It integrates rhetorical analysis with ecological frameworks and computational methods to address the identification of claims in memes, bridging qualitative and quantitative research approaches.

## Keywords

`image memes` · `meme research` · `digital communication` · `narrative analysis` · `rhetorical analysis` · `sensemaking`

## Key Contributions

- Introduces the Digital Rhetorical Ecosystem (DRE3) framework for analyzing image memes.
- Integrates rhetorical theory with ecological frameworks to study the evolution of memetic claims.
- Applies computational methods to enhance the identification of claims in image memes at scale.
- Addresses the social, political, and cultural dimensions of information phenomena related to image memes.

## Methods

- Utilizes a multidisciplinary approach combining rhetorical analysis and ecological frameworks.
- Employs computational techniques for large-scale claim identification in image memes.
- Analyzes the interaction and evolution of memetic claims within information ecosystems.
- Collects and curates diverse image meme samples from various social media platforms.

## 🎯 Consulting & Tutoring

**Available for AI Research Consulting and Tutoring.** [Contact Daniel Ari Friedman, PhD](https://danielarifriedman.com/) for collaboration on Active Inference, Bayesian modeling, and computational biology.

## Citation

```bibtex
@article{2024_ImageMemeResearch,
  author = {Daniel A. Friedman, R.J. Cordes, Mridula Mascarenhas},
  title = {{Bridging gaps in image meme research: A multidisciplinary paradigm}},
  journal = {JASIST},
  year = {2024},
  doi = {10.1002/asi.24900},
}
```

## File Inventory

- `AGENTS.md` (1,882 bytes)
- `2024_ImageMemeResearch.pdf` (2,240,272 bytes)
- `README.md` (1,461 bytes)
- `SKILL.md` (1,732 bytes)