Battle of Narratives: Political Memes During the 2019 Ukrainian Presidential Election
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11649/cs.2246Keywords:
political meme, creolized meme, polarization of society, elections, image of opponent, politics in UkraineAbstract
The article highlights the peculiarities of political internet memes as information units that shape public opinion. The article also examines the role of memes in society. The research material includes creolized memes (including both verbal and visual elements) about the Ukrainian politicians Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelenskyi. These memes were created in 2019 during the Ukrainian presidential election. The article firstly focuses on the verbal aspects of the memes and their semantic and functional features. In addition, the peculiarities of opponent image construction are analysed. The article then examines the influence of Ukrainian politicians on the conduct of the “meme war”. The article also sheds light on the role which memes play in the polarization of society.
References
Analizy, debaty i IUlia-sekundant: IAk sotsmerezhi zhartuiutʹ nad epichnym dvoboiem Poroshenka ta Zelensʹkoho (foto, video). (2019, April 5). Rakurs. https://racurs.ua/ua/n120375-analizy-debaty-ta-vybory-vybuhova-reakciya-socmerej-na-batl-poroshenka-ta-zelenskogo-foto-video.html
Arcimavičienė, L. (2011). The complex metaphor of political animals in media political discourse: A cross-linguistic perspective. Studies about Languages, 2011(19), 95–100. https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.sal.0.19.951 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.sal.0.19.951
Burroughs, B. (2013). Obama trolling: Memes, salutes and agonistic politics in the 2012 presidential election. The Fibreculture Journal, 2013(22), 257–276.
Calimbo, A. (2016). Deconstructing myths via humor: A semiotic analysis of Philippine political internet memes. CASS Langkit Journal, 6, 1–20.
Chen, C. (2012). The creation and meaning of Internet memes in 4chan: Popular Internet culture in the age of online digital reproduction. Habitus, 3, 6–19.
Chernikova, O. (2015). Verbalʹnyĭ mem: Linhvistychnyĭ aspekt. Naukovi zapysky Natsionalʹnoho universytetu “Ostrozʹka akademiia”. Seriia “Filolohichna”, 51, 354–356.
Davison, P. (2012). The language of Internet memes. In M. Mandiberg (Ed.), The social media reader (pp. 120–134). New York University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814763025.003.0013
Deacon, T. W. (1999). Memes as signs. The Semiotic Review of Books, 10(3). http://projects.chass.utoronto.ca/semiotics/srb/10-3edit.html
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 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1478929918807483
Denysiuk, Z. (2016). Kreolizovani teksty postfolʹkloru iak zasib internet-komunikatsiï. Mizhnarodnyĭ visnyk: Kulʹturolohiia. Filolohiia. Muzykoznavstvo, 2016(2), 23–31.
Distracted boyfriend. (n.d.). Know Your Meme. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/distracted-boyfriend
Dziubina, O. (2016). Klasyfikatsiia, struktura ta funktsionuvannia internet-memiv v sotsialʹnykh merezhakh Twitter ta Facebook. Molodyĭ vchenyĭ, 2016(2), 375–379.
Huntington, H. (2013). Subversive memes: Internet memes as a form of visual rhetoric. Selected Papers of Internet Research, 14.0. https://www.academia.edu/5415739/Subversive_Memes_Internet_Memes_as_a_Form_of_Visual_Rhetoric?auto=download
Isakova, T. (2016). Mova vorozhnechi iak problema ukraïnsʹkoho informatsiĭnoho prostoru. Stratehichni priorytety, 2016(4), 90–97.
IUzych, I. (2018, October 4). Khto i koly vyhadav haslo “Slava Ukraïni!”. Istorychna pravda. https://www.istpravda.com.ua/articles/2018/10/4/153036/
Ivanchenko, T. (2019, April 8). Analizy, stadion, oktahon – u hri politychni memy. MediaSapiens. https://ms.detector.media/web/social/analizi_stadion_oktagon_u_gri_politichni_memi/
Karpʹiak, O. (2014, August 8). Vata z ukropom: Mova politychnykh memiv. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/entertainment/2014/08/140807_new_words_ko
Khraban, T. (2018). Prahmatychnyĭ aspekt funktsionuvannia internet-memiv pid chas rosiĭsʹko-ukraïnsʹkoho konfliktu. Aktualʹni pytannia humanitarnykh nauk, 3(20), 78–83. https://doi.org/10.24919/2308-4863.3/20.167513 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24919/2308-4863.3/20.167513
Knobel, M., & Lankshear, C. (2007). Online memes, affinities, and cultural production. In M. Knobel & C. Lankshear (Eds.), A new literacies sampler (pp. 199–227). Peter Lang.
Kunstmann, A. (Ed.). (2017). Selfie citizenship. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45270-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45270-8
Kutsenko, V. (2019). Zelensʹkyĭ – narkoman? Shcho kazhutʹ likari. UAportal. https://www.uaportal.com/ukr/news/zelenskij-narkoman-scho-kazhut-likari.htm
Kxiva, M., & Vesik, L. (2009). Contemporary folklore, Internet and communitites at the beginning of the 21st century. In M. Kõiva (Ed.), Media & Folklore: Contemporary Folklore IV (pp. 97–117). ELM Scholarly Press.
Leiser, A. (2019). Spreadable media, citizens, and participatory culture: use and effects of political Internet memes [PhD dissertation, Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences]. Semantic Scholar. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d3aa/71b1e9fc14ec4a49ffbd13d2d86f50b61d55.pdf?_ga=2.51676329.124070359.1581423948-1236568010.1581423948
Levinson, D. K. (2007). Partizanskaia kreativnostʹ (I. Tribushnaia, Trans.). Ėksmo.
Lung, J. (2018). Jungle politics: Animal metaphors in international relations. European View, 17(2), 235–237. https://doi.org/10.1177/1781685818809330 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1781685818809330
Marutian, R. (2017, May 15). Memetychna zbroia iak instrument smyslovoï viĭny RF proty Ukraïny. Matrix. https://matrix-info.com/2017/05/15/memetychna-zbroya-yak-instrument-smyslovoyi-vijny-rf-proty-ukrayiny/
Metahaven. (2013). Can jokes bring down governments? Memes, design, politics. Strelka Press.
Mussolf, A. (2006). Metaphor scenarios in public discourse. Metaphor and Symbol, 21(1), 23–38. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327868ms2101_2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327868ms2101_2
My Parents Are Dead / Batman Slapping Robin. (n.d.). Know Your Meme. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/my-parents-are-dead-batman-slapping-robin
Neklesova, V. (2016). Memy ukraïnsʹkoho sehmentu Internetu. Zapysky z onomastyky, 19, 151–162.
Ostanina-Olszewska, J., & Majdzińska-Koczorowicz, A. (2019). A Cognitive Linguistics approach to internet memes on selected Polish internet sites. Cognitive Studies | Études cognitives, 2019(19), Article 1939. https://doi.org/10.11649/cs.1939 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11649/cs.1939
Piddubnyĭ, A. (2011). Internet-memy v aspekti paradyhmy perekladu. Novosti mirovoĭ nauki (Filologicheskie nauki). http://www.rusnauka.com/13_NMN_2011/Philologia/6_86003.doc.htm
Piñeiro-Otero, T., & Martínez-Rolán, X. (2016). The use of memes in the discourse of political parties on Twitter: Analysing the 2015 state of nation debate. Communication and Society, 29(1), 145–159. https://doi.org/10.15581/003.29.1.145-159 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15581/003.29.1.145-159
Pocheptsov, H. (2017, December 24). Memeticheskaia voĭna, ili V poiskakh “arifmetiki” razuma. MediaSapiens. https://ms.detector.media/trends/1411978127/memeticheskaya_voyna_ili_v_poiskakh_arifmetiki_razuma/
Poroshenko pidpysav zakon, iakyĭ zakripliuie dlia armiï i politsiï vitannia “Slava Ukraïni! – Heroiam slava!”. (2018, October 11). UNIAN. https://www.unian.ua/politics/10295268-poroshenko-pidpisav-zakon-yakiy-zakriplyuye-dlya-armiji-i-policiji-vitannya-slava-ukrajini-geroyam-slava.html
Reime, T. (2014). Memes as visual tools for precise message conveying: A potential in the future of online communication development. NTNU. https://www.ntnu.no/documents/10401/1264435841/Design+Theory+Article+-+Final+Article+-+Thov+Reime.pdf/a5d150f3-4155-43d9-ad3e-b522d92886c2
Seiffert-Brockmann, J., Diehl, T., & Dobusch, L. (2017). Memes as games: The evolution of a digital discourse online. New Media and Society, 20(8), 2862–2879. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817735334 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817735334
Shchurina, I. (2015). Internet-memy: Istochniki vozniknoveniia. Nauchnyĭ progress na rubezhe tysiacheletiĭ (Filologicheskie nauki). http://www.rusnauka.com/16_NPRT_2014/Philologia/7_170976.doc.htm
Shomova, S. (2015). Politicheskiĭ internet-mem: Sushchnostʹ, spetsifika, raznovidnosti. Biznes. Obshchestvo. Vlastʹ, 22, 28–41.
Skliarevskaia, H. (2019, April 8). Media pidsylyly emotsiĭnu skladovu vyboru ĭ vymknuly ratsionalʹnu: Opytuvannia. Detektor Media. https://detector.media/infospace/article/166213/2019-04-08-media-pidsilili-emotsiinu-skladovu-viboru-i-vimknuli-ratsionalnu-opituvannya/
Sokolova, K. (2012). Memy iak zasib komunikatsiï v Internet-seredovyshchi. Humanitarnyĭ chasopys, 2012(1), 118–123.
Sreekumar, T., & Vadrevu, S. (2013). Online political memes and youth political engagement in Singapore. Selected Papers on Internet Research, 14.0. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Online-political-memes-and-Youth-Political-in-Sreekumar-Vadrevu/0b756da39b881acd48a1cbcf6bea82dd376113f4
Stavytsʹka, L. (2005). Ukraïnsʹkyĭ zhargon: Slovnyk. Krytyka.
Sushchuk, M. (2019, April 15). IAk zupynyty populizm ta poliaryzatsiiu suspilʹstva. Zbruč. https://zbruc.eu/node/88535
Thu Hang, N. (2016). Sport metaphors in political news headlines. VNU Journal of Science: Foreign Studies, 32(2), 12–20.
Tryon, C. (2016, August 23). The power of political memes. The Week. https://theweek.com/articles/644312/power-political-memes
U Rosiï pokazaly mulʹtfilʹm, iak ukraïnsʹka armiia bombytʹ Donbas. (2014, August 19). Vashi novyny. https://news.vash.ua/news/rosiyska-propaganda/multfilm/na-tb-rosiyi-pokazaly-multyk-yak-ukrayinska-armiya-bombyt-donbas
Vieth, D. (2015). The impact of sports metaphors on the media and public sphere. Lexia: Undergraduate Journal in Writing, Rhetoric & Technical Communication, 3, 2–6.
Zelensʹkyĭ ta Kolomoĭsʹkyĭ: “Skhemy” vyiavyly try dokazy vplyvu. (2019, April 8). Ukraïna moloda. https://umoloda.kyiv.ua/number/0/2006/132217/
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Liudmyla Pidkuĭmukha, Nadiya Kiss
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
