social media and the collaborative creation of meaning

The above t-shirt, entitled Three Wolf Moon, currently holds the sales rank of "#1 in Apparel" on amazon.com (i.e., it's the best-selling item of clothing on Amazon).

At the time I'm writing this, the t-shirt has 687 reviews, 527 of which award it five stars.

To quote from a few of the reviews:

The cotton actually feels like baby wolves were bludgeoned for their fur and that fur was spooled into magical pillowy fibers.

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I had a two-wolf shirt for a while and I didn't think life could get any better. I was wrong. Life got 50% better, no lie.

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Unfortunately I already had this exact picture tattooed on my chest, but this shirt is very useful in colder weather.

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I believe that wearing this t-shirt has made me a better man, which is remarkable because, well....I'm a chick.

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What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women. Thank you Three Wolf Moon Shirt.

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I purchased the 3 wolf moon shirt while on vacation in Utah but I forgot it in the hotel room. Imagine my surprise when 7 weeks later, I heard a knock at my door back home. It was 3 wolf moon! It walked all the way to my house by itself. Excellent fit, too.
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It's casual Friday at my office and while I'm getting dressed in the morning, I say to myself, "Hey, what's more casual than a Three Wolf Moon T-shirt?" I hadn't worn it before - it was a gag gift and my couture is classy. But, my fashion sense is only rivaled by my gift for irony. So I donned it. Some things you can never prepare for.

I didn't drive to work - I f'in ran to work. 15 miles. That's what the power of the wolf does to you. Then I slowly slinked into my office, unobserved. I sat on my desk, low to the ground, just waiting to pounce. Then I smelled it - that fat man, food in the fat creases, sweat on the top of the bald head, boss smell. I snarled. And pounced. Sometimes your prey is hard to take down, but sometimes they are obese and have spina bifida. You take your wins where you can get them.

Now I'm in prison. But it was worth it. Thank you, Three Wolf Moon T-shirt. Now that I have the power of the three wolves, I'm my own boss and master.

Pros: freedom, independence, unbridled wolf power
Cons: prison sentences and the constant feeling of never being satisfied because you can't lick yourself

Up until a decade or two ago, companies defined their brands' meanings and presented them to potential customers through advertising. Marketing was basically one-way communication. Today, every vector of communication, be it email, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, or even Amazon product reviews, provides an opportunity for individuals to express their own experience of a brand's meaning. Even to the extent of wresting the meaning away from the brand's owner.

Thank you Three Wolf Moon Shirt.