Case Study

By: Andrew Waite

(Refer to the assignment sheet for the type of information that goes in these sections)

Description & History

Description

Name: I hate Sandcastles / Success Kid

Purpose: Entertainment, Advice Animal, Bragging

Production value: Amateur

Summary / Description: I hate Sandcastles / Success Kid is an 'advice animal' meme with a small boy clutching sand in his fist and a tough look on his face. It was originally just a fun image, but has mutated into a meme all it's own. Success Kid memes are denoted by the first line being an action, while the second line says something lucky about it. I.E. "Got Drunk, Didn't text my ex"

History

Date discovered: The photo was taken on August 26, 2007 and uploaded to flickr sometime right after. 

Peak popularity: It's peak popularity was in February 2012 when the image was put on a billboard for Virgin Media. It's most popular in the United States, but has a following in Canada and the UK as well. 

Original Site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sammyjammy/sets/72157620597747933/

Remixes / Parodies / Responses:

The first remix was I HATE SANDCASTLES. 

The image became popular in early 2008 and then in early 2009 Success Kid went viral.

Appeal and Audience

Who is the likely audience? Why do they respond to this video?

Social and Cultural Factors

Identify social conditions that influence the viral transmission of this object. Social conditions, trends, attitudes, laws, etc. that intersect to lead to the creation and circulation of this viral structure?

Resources / Further Information