i. Introduction to meme_x
Media, Evolution, and Metamodern Experiences
Media
Evolution
Metamodernism
E(χ)periences
memeχ (pronounced meme_x; plaintext) is a modernization of Vannevar Bush’s essay As We May Think (1945), which introduced the memex—a conceptual device for organizing and accessing information. Building on Bush’s essay, memeχ examines the evolution of media consumption and creation across the length of the human experience, identifying patterns to contemporary challenges in multimedia interactions. These challenges include combating the all-knowing algorithm, misinformation, deepfakes, and over-saturation media.
memeχ (pronounced meme_x) is a modernization of Vannevar Bush’s 1945 essay As We May Think, which introduced the memex—a conceptual device for organizing and accessing information. Building on Bush’s essay, memeχ examines how media consumption and creation have evolved across human history, identifying patterns (or oscillations) to address contemporary challenges in multimedia interactions. These challenges include combating all-knowing algorithms, misinformation, deepfakes, and an over-saturated media landscape.
By exploring these oscillations—cyclical shifts in culture, technology, and philosophy—memeχ helps us understand how media shapes and reflects the human experience. This philosophy also borrows from UI/UX principles, recognizing that human-centered design is crucial for navigating the complexities of modern media.
ii. What is an Oscillation?
The Concept
Simply put, an oscillation is the movement back and forth between two points. In physics, this can be observed through pendulums swinging between two extremes2.
Applied to memeχ, oscillations are the repeated shifts in behaviors, ideas, and cultural zeigeists1 —often between opposing extremes. These oscillations exist in both the macro and the micro; in society and in the individual. Often-times, there exists an equilibrium, or a balance between the two opposing points.
Example: The resurgence of vinyl records despite the dominance of streaming platforms showcases an oscillation between analog and digital media.
Generations and Media: Inherited Processes
Each generation builds on its predecessor in life, culture, and technology, creating a lineage of media engagement that feels almost like an inherited family trait. However, this inheritance is not passive—new generations react, reforge, and reinterpret what they receive, forming a cyclical sway (or oscillation) between the future they’re born into and the past that has molded them.
Example: Growing up in the 90s/2000s might mean you experienced a hybrid of portable CD players, digital music stores, and eventual smartphone streaming. Now, there’s a return to vinyl records—an oscillation between nostalgia for tangible, physical media and the convenience of digital platforms.
Vinyl presented not just a return to nostalgia but also a return to physicality and ownership, with record-digging being its own algorithm. Furthermore, the vinyl culture curated its own community, and exclusivity. Vinyl (much like CDs) also offered album art, producer credits, and a series of extras that are lost digital streaming platforms.
[Un]fortunately, this shift is not random. It’s a pendulum that swings across generations. In this way, our understanding of media is both a reaction, and a reclamation—redefining our inheritiance so that it upholds itself in the present.
What one generation views as obsolete might be essential to the next. What was once groundbreaking may later be limiting, and as new technologies inform how we interact with media, the cycle will continue—balancing what we are given with what we reclaim.
Defining an Oscillation
To understand how memeχ explores cultural and technological shifts, we must first define an oscillation—a term that forms the foundation of memeχ.
The Oxford Dictionary provides three key definitions for oscillation:
[uncountable, singular] a regular movement between one position and another or between one amount and another
the oscillation of the compass needle
oscillation between A and B the economy’s continual oscillation between growth and recession
[countable] a single movement from one position to another of something that is oscillating
oscillation (of something) (against something) the oscillations of the pound against foreign currency
oscillation between A and B the natural oscillations between quantum states in atoms
[uncountable, countable] a repeated change between different feelings, types of behaviour or ideas
oscillation between A and B his oscillation, as a teenager, between science and art
Her oscillations of mood frustrated him.
To oscillate means to:
To keep changing from one extreme of feeling or behavior to another, and back again: This refers to the fluctuation between two opposite states, such as moods oscillating between depression and elation.
(Physics) To keep moving from one position to another and back again: This describes a repetitive motion, like a needle on a dial moving back and forth.
(Physics) (Of an electric current, radio waves, etc.) To change in strength or direction at regular intervals: This definition refers to the periodic variation in the strength or direction of electrical or radio signals.
Real-World Oscillations
With these definitions can seek out oscillations and apply them to common observations.
For example:
Vinyl Records vs. Digital Streaming
NFTs:
The rise of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) and their influence by the digital culture of Neopets and internet ‘adoptables’ represents an oscillation between the digital and collectible realms.
Film Cameras:
The revival of film cameras and ‘digital polaroids’ references a return to older technologies despite the availability of advanced digital cameras, especially those within our phones.
Books and Library Culture:
The promotion of physical books and the resurgence of library culture through social media influencers and #BookTok showcase oscillations between digital and physical media consumption.
The Creator-Consumer Relationship
Another major oscillation lies in the creator-consumer dynamic. Once a largely one-sided affair—creators made content, consumers passively received it—modern platforms have transformed audiences into collaborators, curators, and co-creators.
In earlier media, the roles of creator and consumer were largely separate. Creators produced content (e.g., books, music, films), while audiences engaged passively with the finished product.
In the digital age, this distinction is blurred. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Twitch and Instagram allow audiences not only to consume media but to actively participate in its creation, remixing and reshaping content to reflect their perspectives.
David Ogilvy, the “father of advertising,” captured the importance of understanding this relationship when he wrote: “The consumer isn’t a moron; she is your wife.” To regard the consumer as a significant other is to respect the audience, to know them intimately, and to create content that resonates with them.
Today, this sentiment is more relevant than ever. Brands, creators, and platforms must navigate this oscillation—between traditional top-down content production and the participatory, decentralized nature of modern media to understand what fits best for their narrative, and their audience.
Iterative Creation and D.O.T.S.
Engaging audiences often requires a process of trial and error. As a metaphor, think of throwing wet paper towels at a wall until several stick. The process can be tedious, sometimes embarrassing, but it’s essential for finding what resonates. Repetitive failure is never fun, yet until we’ve effectively “recreated the Mona Lisa or The Starry Night on a bathroom wall,” our work isn’t done, so fail-hard, and fail-fast.
This iterative approach benefits immensely from UI/UX insights, where testing and user feedback guide refinements in design. Simultaneously, it’s important not to get bogged down by overthinking.
As Kenny Beats puts it:
D.O.T.S. (Don’t Over Think Shit)
Creators should strike a balance between spontaneity and mindful awareness of how their work is perceived. Self-awareness and authenticity are crucial, especially with AI entering writer’s rooms, art studios, and music production. By blending genres, styles, and narrative techniques—and focusing on user-centric design—creators can maintain uniqueness and resonance in an era flooded with content.
iii. The Philosophy of Modernism, Postmodernism, Metamodernism
Modernism
Modernism emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a reaction to the changes brought about by industrialization, urbanization, and the First World War. Modernism is represented by the will to break from tradition and discover new forms of expression that were capable of capturing the reality at the time.
Modernists embodied a belief in progress, innovation, and the power of human creativity to reshape society and reveal universal truths through art.
Key Characteristics of Modernism:
Innovation
A push for new techniques and styles in art, literature, and music.
Examples: Stream-of-consciousness narration in literature (e.g., James Joyce) and atonality in music (e.g., Schoenberg).
Exploration of Form
A focus on the structure and medium of art itself, often resulting in abstraction and experimentation.
Example: Cubism in painting (e.g., Picasso) challenged traditional representations of reality.
The Hero’s Journey for Authenticity
A desire to uncover the essence of human experience, free from outdated conventions or constraints.
Modernists believed art could reveal universal truths about life, identity, and society.
Postmodernism
Postmodernism arose in the mid-to-late 20th century, largely in response to Modernism's perceived limitations and failures, especially in light of the horrors of World War II, which shattered Modernism’s progress in universal truths.
Postmodernists approached the world with skepticism and irony, rejecting the idea that art or philosophy could uncover a singular, objective truth. Instead, they embraced plurality, ambiguity, and relativism, viewing reality as socially constructed and inherently fragmented.
Key Characteristics of Postmodernism:
Skepticism and Irony
A critical stance toward objective knowledge, grand narratives, and cultural ideologies.
Example: Postmodern literature often questions reality and meaning (e.g., Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five).
Pastiche and Parody
The blending of styles, genres, and media to expose the artificiality of “reality.”
Example: Postmodern architecture mixes classical and modern designs without concern for coherence.
Rejection of Grand Narratives
A dismissal of overarching stories that attempt to explain history, culture, or the human condition.
Example: Instead of one universal truth, Postmodernism embraces multiple perspectives and interpretations.
While Modernism sought meaning and order, Postmodernism revealed the chaos, subjectivity, and contradictions of life in a fragmented world.
Metamodernism
Metamodernism, emerging in the early 21st century, can be understood as a response to Postmodernism’s skepticism and detachment. While it acknowledges the failures of grand narratives and the ambiguity of truth, Metamodernism also recognizes humanity’s renewed desire for meaning, depth, and sincerity in an increasingly complex and digital world.
Metamodernism does not reject irony or skepticism—it embraces them. However, it also allows space for hope, authenticity, and idealism to coexist. Metamodernism does not seek to find balance, but instead chooses to oscillate between the extremes of modernism and postmodernism—truth and ambiguity, irony and sincerity, optimism and despair.
Key Characteristics of Metamodernism:
Synthesis of Opposites
A movement between Modernist idealism and Postmodernist skepticism.
Example: Art and culture oscillating between irony and sincerity, without settling on either.
Informed Naivety and Pragmatic Idealism
A willingness to hope and dream, while fully aware of the limitations of past ideologies.
Metamodernism reflects a pragmatic optimism—striving for new possibilities while understanding their imperfections.
Dynamic Engagement
Instead of fixed viewpoints, Metamodernism encourages continuous growth and engagement with the world.
Example: The blending of nostalgia and innovation in media (e.g., the resurgence of vinyl records alongside streaming)
From Modernism to Metamodernism
To understand Metamodernism, it helps to view it [Metamodernism] as a reaction and reconciliation through time:
Modernism sought universal truths through innovation and creativity.
Postmodernism shattered those ideals, revealing a fractured, pluralistic reality.
Metamodernism oscillates between these perspectives, striving to create meaning while embracing complexity and contradiction.
Metamodernism is not an endpoint—it’s the journey. It reflects the way humanity navigates the pendulum swing of progress and reaction, moving back and forth between hope and doubt, tradition and innovation, the old and the new.
iv. Origins of meme_χ
Development.
memeχ took shape during my second year at Georgia State University (GSU) as a project for a Media, Society, and Culture course. Initially focused on media consumption and cultural implications, it evolved into a system for analyzing and creating media from a metamodernistic standpoint. This approach draws inspiration from giants like internet mentor Camden Ostrander (contributor to the Dissect podcast), whose work in media analysis showed how culture, philosophy, and technology intersect.
Vannevar Bush’s Influence
In July of 1945, weeks before the atomic bombs “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” were dropped, American physicist Vannevar Bush published “As We May Think” in The Atlantic. Bush—an academic leader, vice president and dean at MIT, president of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and director of the National Defense Research Committee [NDRC]/Office of Scientific Research and Development [OSRD]—was deeply involved in WWII’s scientific efforts, including the early stages of the Manhattan Project.
During World War II, the OSRD, under Bush’s leadership, oversaw the development of technologies that played a decisive role in the war effort, including radar and sonar. However, the OSRD’s most infamous contribution was its early role in laying the groundwork for the Manhattan Project—the top-secret operation that produced the world’s first nuclear weapons.
By the end of the war, Bush stood at a crossroads. He had led science to its most destructive achievement in history, yet he believed deeply that science should serve humanity—not destroy it. In “As We May Think,” Bush reflected on this shift in priorities, urging scientists to move beyond war and turn their efforts toward progress and innovation:
“What are the scientists to do next? ... It is the physicists who have been thrown most violently off stride, who have left academic pursuits for the making of strange destructive gadgets... Now, as peace approaches, one asks where they will find objectives worthy of their best.”
Information Overload
While Bush was concerned with the role of scientists, he also identified a growing challenge: the human experience could not match the overwhelming amount of information being produced. Even in 1945—long before the internet, Bush observed that humanity was creating more knowledge than it could process, organize, or effectively use:
“The summation of human experience is being expanded at a prodigious rate, and the means we use for threading through the consequent maze... is the same as was used in the days of square-rigged ships.”
In other words, the tools for managing information were not keeping up with the rate at which new knowledge was being created. Sound familiar? Bush’s observation in 1945 is no different than the issue that plagues us today:
Content Overload: At this very moment, over 272 TikToks are posted per second, alongside countless articles, tweets, videos, and posts. No human being can consume or make sense of it all.
Echo Chambers: Modern algorithms curate content for us, tailoring what we see to our preferences. While convenient, this often isolates us in digital echo chambers, limiting exposure to diverse perspectives.
Despite advancements like indexed search engines and AI, we’re still struggling with the same core problem Bush described nearly 80 years ago. It’s humanly impossible to engage with even a fraction of the content thats being created, even within a specific niche. This experience of threading through a consequent maze is consistent throughout the development of technology, which makes me wonder—how much have we really changed?
As described earlier, our interaction with technology is a penedulum; one that swings with increasing velocity until its couse corrected; either by time, or by the introduction of a technology that changes our perspective on how we understand all other technology. Examples of this include the computers, the internet, artificial intelligence, and the memex.
The Memex
(Summary below)
Consider a future device for individual use, which is a sort of mechanized private file and library. It needs a name, and, to coin one at random, “memex” will do. A memex is a device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory.
It consists of a desk, and while it can presumably be operated from a distance, it is primarily the piece of furniture at which he works. On the top are slanting translucent screens, on which material can be projected for convenient reading. There is a keyboard, and sets of buttons and levers. Otherwise it looks like an ordinary desk.
In one end is the stored material. The matter of bulk is well taken care of by improved microfilm. Only a small part of the interior of the memex is devoted to storage, the rest to mechanism. Yet if the user inserted 5000 pages of material a day it would take him hundreds of years to fill the repository, so he can be profligate and enter material freely.
Most of the memex contents are purchased on microfilm ready for insertion. Books of all sorts, pictures, current periodicals, newspapers, are thus obtained and dropped into place. Business correspondence takes the same path. And there is provision for direct entry. On the top of the memex is a transparent platen. On this are placed longhand notes, photographs, memoranda, all sorts of things. When one is in place, the depression of a lever causes it to be photographed onto the next blank space in a section of the memex film, dry photography being employed. —Vannevar Bush, “As We May Think”
The slightly-less-longer TL;DR:
In "As We May Think," Vannevar Bush introduced the idea of the memex, a device imagined as a mechanized private library and file system. The memex was designed to solve the problem of information overload by allowing individuals to store, retrieve, and organize knowledge in a way that mimicked our own brain’s associative processes.
Bush described the memex as follows:
Consider a future device for individual use, which is a sort of mechanized private file and library... A memex is a device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory.
How the Memex Would Work
The memex resembled a desk outfitted with advanced technology for its time:
Slanted translucent screens for displaying information.
A keyboard, buttons, and levers to navigate and organize content.
Microfilm-based storage, capable of holding vast amounts of data without running out of space.
Users could add information in various ways:
Purchasing microfilm content, such as books, newspapers, and correspondence, for direct insertion.
Creating new entries by photographing handwritten notes, photos, or documents onto blank microfilm using a lever.
The most revolutionary feature of the memex was its ability to create associative trails. Much like how our brains form connections between memories, the memex allowed users to link related pieces of information. These trails could then be revisited, shared, or expanded upon, transforming static data into dynamic, meaningful networks of knowledge.
Why the Memex Matters Today
Bush’s vision for the memex was revolutionary not just for its time but for what it anticipated:
The hyperlink: Associative trails are the foundation of how we navigate the internet today.
Cloud storage and digital libraries: Systems that allow us to store and access vast amounts of information.
AI-driven recommendations: Tools that attempt to curate content, though often imperfectly, to help us manage the overwhelming flow of information.
While the memex was never built, its principles remain deeply relevant. Bush foresaw the challenges of a world drowning in data and proposed a solution rooted in human-centric design—a tool that would empower individuals to create connections and make sense of the noise.
The Pendulum Swings On
As we navigate today’s digital landscape, Bush remind sus that technology alone cannot solve our problems. Each innovation—from typewriters, to artificial intelligence, merely shifts the penedulum, creting just as many challenges as opportunities. The begged question does not remain in the field of whether or not we can build tools to manage information, but whether we can create system that enhance understanding and connection amongst one another, enhancing the human experience through clarity, as opposed to further obfuscating it.
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