National Science and Media Museum Exhibits Viral ‘Absolute Unit’ Meme as First Digitally Born Object

An internet meme that rapidly gained widespread popularity is the inaugural “digitally born object” to be featured at the National Science and Media Museum. The “absolute unit” meme garnered millions of views after its creation by staff at the Museum of English Rural Life in Reading during 2018. It showcases a photograph of an Exmoor Horn ram, captured in 1962 and originating from the museum’s collection, accompanied by the caption “look at this absolute unit”. Dr. Ruth Quinn from the National Science and Media Museum explained that the meme is being displayed in Bradford because it is “such an important part of popular culture”. The museum characterizes memes as digital content forms frequently intended to be humorous and shared quickly online, particularly across social media platforms. The museum has collaborated with Dr. Arran Rees from the University of Leeds to investigate methods for collecting and presenting social media memes, acknowledging their broader cultural significance. Dr. Quinn stated: “I even have it (the meme) printed on a mug so I’m delighted that we were able to work with Dr Arran Rees to develop a method for collecting and displaying social media, so we can share this work with our visitors in an interactive way.” A spokesperson for the museum indicated that, as its first acquired born-digital object, the meme exemplifies how internet culture can generate secondary, unforeseen existences for images long after their initial creation. They elaborated that the meme narrates the progression of a photograph from its negative and print forms, through digital reproduction, social media circulation, and subsequent new iterations. “The inclusion of the ‘absolute unit’ meme marks a milestone in the museum in embracing the evolving relationship between photography and the digital age”, they added. The meme will be accessible for viewing when the museum reopens its doors to visitors on January 8. The institution has been closed for a significant refurbishment since summer 2023. It will be presented on an interactive touch screen located in the museum’s Kodak gallery, which explores the extensive history of photographic technology spanning hundreds of years. Visitors will have the ability to scroll through the meme as if encountering it on their personal social media feeds, and they will also be able to view numerous responses from social media users. A reopening event is scheduled to take place at the museum on Saturday, January 11, with the new Sound and Vision galleries, designed to exhibit all facets of the museum’s collection, set to open in summer 2025. The £6 million Sound and Vision Project has received funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, in addition to the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, Bradford Council, and the Science Museum Group.