The term “Web 2.0” was coined in 1999 by the designer Darcy DiNucci to delineate the shift from the consumptive behavior of the “old web” to the participatory nature of the “new web.” In the past, the internet was likened to a digital library—a place to take from—but today, the internet functions as a transactional and social sphere—a place to live. Amongst the most notable particularities of Web 2.0 is the proliferation of social media and its respective “end users,” those who utilize these products and platforms. Amongst the end users with the most followers are professional athletes and celebrities. Since 2013, the New York Mets have been adopting social media monikers like “Thor,” and “the Dark Knight,” marketing decisions which, if formally adopted by the franchise, may have represented copyright infringements and been met with legal action. Such maneuvers stand in stark contrast to the practices of a team like the New York Yankees, who are notorious for their preservation of “a team image” (no names on jerseys, no facial hair, no hair below the collar). User-generated monikers on social media platforms function ultimately as what media scholars refer to as avatars, or online alter egos, many of which are highly stylized graphical representations. This paper examines how the New York Mets, a team celebrated for social deviance and general rascality, subverts the normative culture of Major League Baseball, and ultimately American capitalism, by adopting monikers in Web 2.0.
About the presenterGreg Bruno
Greg Bruno teaches courses in English at Kingsborough Community College in the City University of New York. He designs and teaches co-enrolled exchange program courses at correctional facilities in the greater New York City area. He earned his doctorate in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2019. His research and practice centers on the psychology of learning, prison education, and higher education reform and policy analysis.