FROM JOKE TO JOURNALISM: THE EVOLUTION OF MEMES IN MASS COMMUNICATION
Main Article Content
Keywords
journalism, mass communication, memes, public discourse
Abstract
The emergence of memes as a prevalent form of communication in the digital age has transformed them from simple humor to influential tools shaping public opinion and societal dynamics. This study tracks memes' evolution from fundamental humor to political discourse and social mobilization in mass media. The study uses theoretical frameworks to trace memes' progression from amusing content to a major form of visual communication in the digital age. The study shows that memes have gone from amusing diversions to shaping public opinion. Mass communication relies on memes to influence public opinion, social awareness, and political outcomes. The paper discusses how memes have disrupted journalism and allowed anyone to participate in public debate through satire and critique. The study also examines the ethical issues surrounding memes in mass communication, shedding light on their potential effects. This research sheds light on memes' significant role in shaping public discourse, influencing beliefs, and engaging diverse audiences in discussions about social and political issues. By exploring the evolution of memes in mass communication, this study highlights their potential to disrupt journalism, spark public debate, and raise ethical considerations.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Al-Natour, R. (2011). The Digital Racist Fellowship Behind The Anti-Aboriginal Internet Memes. Journal Of Sociology, 57(4), 780–805. https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783320964536
Ardèvol, E., Martorell, S., & San-Cornelio, G. (2021). El Mito En Las Narrativas Visuales Del Activismo Medioambiental En Instagram. Comunicar, 26(68), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3916/C68-2021-05
Baishya, A. K. (2021). The Conquest Of The World As Meme: Memetic Visuality And Political Humor In Critiques Of The Hindu Right Wing In India. Media, Culture And Society, 43(6), 1113–1135. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443720986039
Bene, M. (2017). Go Viral On The Facebook! Interactions Between Candidates And Followers On Facebook During The Hungarian General Election Campaign Of 2014. Information Communication And Society, 20(4), 513–529. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2016.1198411
Boone, G. M., Secci, J., & Gallant, L. M. (2018). Resistance: Active And Creative Political Protest Strategies. American Behavioral Scientist, 62(3), 353–374. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764217735623
Dean, J. (2019). Sorted For Memes And Gifs: Visual Media And Everyday Digital Politics. Political Studies Review, 17(3), 255–266. https://doi.org/10.1177/1478929918807483
Elmore, P. G., & Coleman, J. M. (2019). Middle School Students’ Analysis Of Political Memes To Support Critical Media Literacy. Journal Of Adolescent And Adult Literacy, 63(1), 29–40. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.948
Fernández-Villanueva, C., & Bayarri-Toscano, G. (2021). Legitimation Of Hate And Political Violence Through Memetic Images: The Bolsonaro Campaign. Communication And Society, 34(2), 449–468. https://doi.org/10.15581/003.34.2.449-468
Guenther, L., Ruhrmann, G., Bischoff, J., Penzel, T., & Weber, A. (2020). Strategic Framing And Social Media Engagement: Analyzing Memes Posted By The German Identitarian Movement On Facebook. Social Media + Society, 6(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119898777
Hakoköngäs, E., Halmesvaara, O., & Sakki, I. (2020). Persuasion Through Bitter Humor: Multimodal Discourse Analysis Of Rhetoric In Internet Memes Of Two Far-Right Groups In Finland. Social Media And Society, 6(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120921575
Harvey, A. M., Thompson, S., Lac, A., & Coolidge, F. L. (2019). Fear And Derision: A Quantitative Content Analysis Of Provaccine And Anti-vaccine Internet Memes. Health Education And Behavior, 46(6), 1012–1023. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198119866886
Herbenick, D., Guerra-Reyes, L., Patterson, C., Wilson, J., Gonzalez, Y. R. R., Voorheis, E., … Maas, M. K. (2023). #ChokeMeDaddy: A Content Analysis Of Memes Related To Choking/Strangulation During Sex. Archives Of Sexual Behavior, 52(3), 1299–1315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02502-5
Kostygina, G., Tran, H., Binns, S., Szczypka, G., Emery, S., Vallone, D., & Hair, E. (2020). Boosting Health Campaign Reach And Engagement Through Use Of Social Media Influencers And Memes. Social Media And Society, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120912475
McLoughlin, L., & Southern, R. (2021). By Any Memes Necessary? Small Political Acts, Incidental Exposure And Memes During The 2017 UK General Election. British Journal Of Politics And International Relations, 23(1), 60–84. https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148120930594
Moreno-Almeida, C. (2021). Memes As Snapshots Of Participation: The Role Of Digital Amateur Activists In Authoritarian Regimes. New Media And Society, 23(6), 1545–1566. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820912722
Paz, M. A., Mayagoitia-Soria, A., & González-Aguilar, J.-M. (2021). From Polarization To Hate: Portrait Of The Spanish Political Meme. Social Media And Society, 7(4), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211062920
Polishchuk, O., Vitiuk, I., Kovtun, N., & Fed, V. (2020). Memes As The Phenomenon Of Modern Digital Culture. Wisdom, 2(15), 45–55. https://doi.org/10.24234/WISDOM.V15I2.361
Pulos, R. (2020). COVID-19 Crisis Memes, Rhetorical Arena Theory And Multimodality. Journal Of Science Communication, 19(7), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.19070201
Rieger, D., & Klimmt, C. (2019). The Daily Dose Of Digital Inspiration: A Multi-Method Exploration Of Meaningful Communication In Social Media. New Media And Society, 21(1), 97–118. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818788323
Riser, D. K., Clarke, S. D., & Stallworth, A. N. (2020). Scientific Memes: Using The Language Of Social Media To Improve Scientific Literacy And Communication In Lifespan Development. Psychology Learning And Teaching, 19(3), 275–289. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475725720929277
Schneider, F. (2021). COVID-19 Nationalism And The Visual Construction Of Sovereignty During China’s Coronavirus Crisis. China Information, 35(3), 301–324. https://doi.org/10.1177/0920203X211034692
Seiffert-Brockmann, J., Diehl, T., & Dobusch, L. (2018). Memes As Games: The Evolution Of A Digital Discourse Online. New Media And Society, 20(8), 2862–2879. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817735334
Silvestri, L. E. (2018). Memeingful Memories And The Art Of Resistance. New Media And Society, 20(11), 3997–4016. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818766092
Trillò, T., & Shifman, L. (2021). Memetic Commemorations: Remixing Far-Right Values In Digital Spheres. Information Communication And Society, 24(16), 2482–2501. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1974516
Zulli, D., & Zulli, D. J. (2022). Extending The Internet Meme: Conceptualizing Technological Mimesis And Imitation Publics On The TikTok Platform. New Media And Society, 24(8), 1872–1890. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820983603
Ardèvol, E., Martorell, S., & San-Cornelio, G. (2021). El Mito En Las Narrativas Visuales Del Activismo Medioambiental En Instagram. Comunicar, 26(68), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3916/C68-2021-05
Baishya, A. K. (2021). The Conquest Of The World As Meme: Memetic Visuality And Political Humor In Critiques Of The Hindu Right Wing In India. Media, Culture And Society, 43(6), 1113–1135. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443720986039
Bene, M. (2017). Go Viral On The Facebook! Interactions Between Candidates And Followers On Facebook During The Hungarian General Election Campaign Of 2014. Information Communication And Society, 20(4), 513–529. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2016.1198411
Boone, G. M., Secci, J., & Gallant, L. M. (2018). Resistance: Active And Creative Political Protest Strategies. American Behavioral Scientist, 62(3), 353–374. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764217735623
Dean, J. (2019). Sorted For Memes And Gifs: Visual Media And Everyday Digital Politics. Political Studies Review, 17(3), 255–266. https://doi.org/10.1177/1478929918807483
Elmore, P. G., & Coleman, J. M. (2019). Middle School Students’ Analysis Of Political Memes To Support Critical Media Literacy. Journal Of Adolescent And Adult Literacy, 63(1), 29–40. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.948
Fernández-Villanueva, C., & Bayarri-Toscano, G. (2021). Legitimation Of Hate And Political Violence Through Memetic Images: The Bolsonaro Campaign. Communication And Society, 34(2), 449–468. https://doi.org/10.15581/003.34.2.449-468
Guenther, L., Ruhrmann, G., Bischoff, J., Penzel, T., & Weber, A. (2020). Strategic Framing And Social Media Engagement: Analyzing Memes Posted By The German Identitarian Movement On Facebook. Social Media + Society, 6(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119898777
Hakoköngäs, E., Halmesvaara, O., & Sakki, I. (2020). Persuasion Through Bitter Humor: Multimodal Discourse Analysis Of Rhetoric In Internet Memes Of Two Far-Right Groups In Finland. Social Media And Society, 6(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120921575
Harvey, A. M., Thompson, S., Lac, A., & Coolidge, F. L. (2019). Fear And Derision: A Quantitative Content Analysis Of Provaccine And Anti-vaccine Internet Memes. Health Education And Behavior, 46(6), 1012–1023. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198119866886
Herbenick, D., Guerra-Reyes, L., Patterson, C., Wilson, J., Gonzalez, Y. R. R., Voorheis, E., … Maas, M. K. (2023). #ChokeMeDaddy: A Content Analysis Of Memes Related To Choking/Strangulation During Sex. Archives Of Sexual Behavior, 52(3), 1299–1315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02502-5
Kostygina, G., Tran, H., Binns, S., Szczypka, G., Emery, S., Vallone, D., & Hair, E. (2020). Boosting Health Campaign Reach And Engagement Through Use Of Social Media Influencers And Memes. Social Media And Society, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120912475
McLoughlin, L., & Southern, R. (2021). By Any Memes Necessary? Small Political Acts, Incidental Exposure And Memes During The 2017 UK General Election. British Journal Of Politics And International Relations, 23(1), 60–84. https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148120930594
Moreno-Almeida, C. (2021). Memes As Snapshots Of Participation: The Role Of Digital Amateur Activists In Authoritarian Regimes. New Media And Society, 23(6), 1545–1566. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820912722
Paz, M. A., Mayagoitia-Soria, A., & González-Aguilar, J.-M. (2021). From Polarization To Hate: Portrait Of The Spanish Political Meme. Social Media And Society, 7(4), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211062920
Polishchuk, O., Vitiuk, I., Kovtun, N., & Fed, V. (2020). Memes As The Phenomenon Of Modern Digital Culture. Wisdom, 2(15), 45–55. https://doi.org/10.24234/WISDOM.V15I2.361
Pulos, R. (2020). COVID-19 Crisis Memes, Rhetorical Arena Theory And Multimodality. Journal Of Science Communication, 19(7), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.19070201
Rieger, D., & Klimmt, C. (2019). The Daily Dose Of Digital Inspiration: A Multi-Method Exploration Of Meaningful Communication In Social Media. New Media And Society, 21(1), 97–118. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818788323
Riser, D. K., Clarke, S. D., & Stallworth, A. N. (2020). Scientific Memes: Using The Language Of Social Media To Improve Scientific Literacy And Communication In Lifespan Development. Psychology Learning And Teaching, 19(3), 275–289. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475725720929277
Schneider, F. (2021). COVID-19 Nationalism And The Visual Construction Of Sovereignty During China’s Coronavirus Crisis. China Information, 35(3), 301–324. https://doi.org/10.1177/0920203X211034692
Seiffert-Brockmann, J., Diehl, T., & Dobusch, L. (2018). Memes As Games: The Evolution Of A Digital Discourse Online. New Media And Society, 20(8), 2862–2879. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817735334
Silvestri, L. E. (2018). Memeingful Memories And The Art Of Resistance. New Media And Society, 20(11), 3997–4016. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818766092
Trillò, T., & Shifman, L. (2021). Memetic Commemorations: Remixing Far-Right Values In Digital Spheres. Information Communication And Society, 24(16), 2482–2501. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1974516
Zulli, D., & Zulli, D. J. (2022). Extending The Internet Meme: Conceptualizing Technological Mimesis And Imitation Publics On The TikTok Platform. New Media And Society, 24(8), 1872–1890. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820983603
Article Sidebar
Published
Jul 9, 2024
Article Details
How to Cite
Melati Budi Srikandi, Haggie Arranda Wahab, & Latupeirissa, J. J. P. (2024). FROM JOKE TO JOURNALISM: THE EVOLUTION OF MEMES IN MASS COMMUNICATION. Al-Balagh : Jurnal Dakwah Dan Komunikasi, 9(2), 191–230. https://doi.org/10.22515/albalagh.v9i2.8873
Section
Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
This ejournal system and it's contents licensed under
a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License