Alexandru's+Background+Research

= Brother Sharp = = =

media type="custom" key="7349053"

The interesting thing about this meme is its roots in the offline world. It somewhat resembles a Chinese "sad Keanu" but with crazy substituting for sad and homeless substituting for Keanu. The development of the meme followed a similar track to that of 'sad Keanu', exemplified by two of its major features:

A: Repeat exposure. After the initial picture, others when encountering the man took pictures which would end up online. Of Course, none were as popular as the first, which remained the icon of the meme. B: Re-appropriation. The iconic first image was used in a variety of different media context, re-forming the meaning of those texts around the iconic meme.

The final noteworthy aspect is its real-world consequence. Here the true potential behind meme-as-a-medium is shown. Due to its wildfire exposure, it was inevitable that the meme reached a party interested in direct contact with "Brother Sharp". A veritable manhunt begun and soon enough, he was indentified. What followed was the unfortunate media harassment, fueled by "Brother Sharp's" internet fame. The meme had now not only altered one's online behavior, but it was having real-world extensions. In the end, "Brother Sharp" was given shelter and psychiatric help, a first as far as meme outcomes are concerned.

As far as the introduction of the meme goes, it was clearly not deliberate, it simply gathered steam by itself without any exposure plan behind it.