Week 8: Creating a study sample

This week, I will be refining my meme search criteria in order to accurately guide my research. The criteria will ensure that the memes selected for this study will be cohesive, consistent, and clearly provide insight into my research question.

The four criteria for my sample strategy are as follows:

1. From the September 27, 2018 trial:

This is critical to my study, as this is the main event I am focusing on. Many of the gender issues that have been discussed since Dr. Ford’s allegations were heightened during the trial. Therefore, memes from the trial will give a comprehensive understanding of the situation and issue as a whole. Selecting memes from the trial will also ensure that I am accurately studying the issues stemming from this event only, without influence from other events that have focused on gender.

2. Include images of Brett Kavanaugh:

This is essential to the sample study of memes. As the allegations were against him, Kavanaugh is the central character in this event. All memes will include him in the imagery, either as the sole image or part of an image collage. They will include him displaying a range of emotions and will all be images from the trial. Including this criterion in the sampling will ensure that all memes will include a consistent character.

3. Include images of women or Dr. Christine Blasey Ford:

I feel this is an important criterion to include in my sampling in order to study the gender expectations and stereotypes that this trial exacerbated. Including images of women, especially those present at the trial, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, or other women that relate to the trial will provide insight into the gender issues present in this event. 

4. Text referencing women and/or gender:

Including memes that have text referencing women and/or gender will provide an understanding of how the selected memes communicate a message. It will also ensure all memes in the sample study are related to my research question studying gender expectations.  

The following memes include the above criteria:

1. Serena Williams

This meme meets three of the four criteria, as it includes an image from the trial, an image of Brett Kavanaugh, and text that references women, specifically Serena Williams being fined for showing emotions during the U.S. Open, however Kavanaugh was not reprimanded for his outbursts during the trial. 

2. Emotional

This meme includes the criteria of a meme from the trial, a Brett Kavanaugh image, and text relating to gender, specifically women. It refers to the stereotype that women are seen as emotional, yet a defining characteristic of this trial, as shown in the image, is that Kavanaugh was very emotional.

3. Smile More

This meme includes all four criteria; an image from the trial, an image of Brett Kavanaugh, an image of women at the trial, and text about gender. The text references a typical stereotype placed among women, that they should be smiling. It shows the angry women behind Kavanaugh at the trial who are disgusted by his testimony.