Internet Memes and Society: Social, Cultural And Political Contexts

This book analyzes Internet memes from social, cultural and political perspectives. Sorted into 6 chapters, it demonstrates the evolution of the concept of memes, the proliferation of various types of Internet memes, the manipulation of memes online and o ffl ine, and the global and regional traits of Internet memes. It also o ff ers detailed analysis of Internet memes through two case studies: the propaganda and social resistance of the Russia Crimean annexation in the 2010s and the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016. The author, Anastasia Denisova worked as a journalist in Russia for over a decade in the capacity of television news editor and reporter for NTV Broadcasting company, an editor at Aero fl ot In fl ight , and a freelance reporter and columnist for GEO, Conde Nast Traveller, Vogue, Marie Claire . Denisova is a lecturer in Journalism at the Communication and Media Research Institute at the University of Westminster. In this book, the author mainly grounds her arguments on sociological and media theories in participatory culture and social mobilisation in her analysis of numerous Internet memes and two main case studies. In the new millennium, Internet has been popular throughout the world and the number of Internet users has also been increasing at an exponential rate. The Internet serves as a powerful platform of communication and Internet memes play a vital role in modern political communication. The production and distri-bution of Internet memes have o ff ered netizens opportunities to partake in online discussions, deliberation and other political activities. Politicians, aware of the brainwashing power of Internet memes as well, have also utilised them in political campaigns and propaganda. Internet