“The Joke’s On Us.”

Whitney Phillips, assistant professor of communication and rhetorical studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, was interviewed for The Atlantic story “The Joke’s On Us.” The article focuses on the ethics of “meme culture” or “internet culture,” a topic which Phillips has studied extensively. Phillips addresses how the start of memes ended up breeding an internet culture that is no longer just fun and games. “What seemed to be fun and funny ended up functioning as a Trojan horse for white-supremacist, violent ideologies to shuffle through the gates and not be recognized,” said Phillips.