About

With the internet moving and changing on a day-to-day basis, RITE/ROTE aims to capture moments in time. The eventual aim is to begin creating an archive of thoughts on these changes. After all, everyone has an opinion on the effect of the internet, but it seems a vocal minority dominate the discussion. Let's bring a more well-rounded set of views to the platform. What do u thinkk???

RITE/ROTE is a reflexive exercise in all things interwebz. Every six weeks, a new issue is published with the intent to raise awareness and encourage discussion on a topic. Each issue is dedicated to pointing out interesting observations, commenting on any ongoings, engaging with quirky little e-exercises, and generally paying attention to the uniqueness of online language and internet culture.

Name origins

In Finnegans Wake, James Joyce wrote “rite words in rote order”, which is a phrase that encompasses what this zine is about. The ritual of words is reminiscent of the culture of words, and how words become a ritual to many users heavily involved in any online community — whether through a hive mentality or through subconscious means. Rote learning is a way of memorising through repetition, in the same way online trends and virals explode into existence through rapid repetition.

Not to mention how “rite” and “rote” seem to be misspellings of “write” and “wrote”, which in the context of this project is a direct pun on the most common criticism of online language use — “WRITE PROPERLY, PLEASE”.

Why use unfunny copypasta memes?

The viral culture of memes is a phenomenon exclusive to the internet, and a completely contradictory concept — because memes are culturally subversive, they become cultural staples. Not to mention how memes are not exclusive in a traditional sense. Anyone of any age, in any place and with any resource can find a way to contribute to a meme, as long as they have the imagination to create and play. And despite most memes becoming outdated the moment they are conceived, they still hold cultural relevance, and as such are interesting enough to provide some sort of discussion fodder.

Thank yous

Here are the brilliant people working behind the scenes at RITE/ROTE. Many thanks to their contributions and continued support.