“Read the room Sweden” : Memes, trust, and vulnerability in pandemic engagement
(2024) p.68-85- Abstract
- This chapter offers a theoretical approach to the study of humorous digital memes. Using vaccination and pandemic policy memes on Reddit as examples, the chapter’s main contribution is an understanding of memes as forms of symbolic levelling that reflect and construct civic trust or distrust. Arguing for a theoretically informed methodological approach sensitive to memes’ polysemic ambiguity, several readings are identified making memes an ironic space, wherein the uncertainty characterising the pandemic context is expressed through humour. Beyond establishing varying opinions, identities, perspectives, emotions, and knowledge beliefs, ironic space encourages oscillation between analytical distance and myopia; in this case, relating... (More)
- This chapter offers a theoretical approach to the study of humorous digital memes. Using vaccination and pandemic policy memes on Reddit as examples, the chapter’s main contribution is an understanding of memes as forms of symbolic levelling that reflect and construct civic trust or distrust. Arguing for a theoretically informed methodological approach sensitive to memes’ polysemic ambiguity, several readings are identified making memes an ironic space, wherein the uncertainty characterising the pandemic context is expressed through humour. Beyond establishing varying opinions, identities, perspectives, emotions, and knowledge beliefs, ironic space encourages oscillation between analytical distance and myopia; in this case, relating especially to the deviation ascribed to Swedish pandemic policy. Hence, ironic space allows for safe negotiation of civic pandemic vulnerability, balancing the interactive foundation of democratic trust. Additionally, the chapter argues that the study of memes must include platform infrastructures and culture, as memes are both contained within and move across digital platforms - impacting processes of inclusion and exclusion characteristic of humorous expression and interaction. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/257c8d57-6bc0-42bf-8359-68e95d7116e7
- author
- Doona, Joanna LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-04
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- host publication
- Vaccine Hesitancy in the Nordic Countries : Trust and Distrust During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Trust and Distrust During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- editor
- Borin, Lars ; Hammarlin, Mia-Marie ; Kokkinakis, Dimitrios and Miegel, Fredrik
- edition
- 1
- pages
- 18 pages
- publisher
- Routledge
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85191424193
- ISBN
- 9781032305998
- DOI
- 10.4324/9781003305859-6
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 257c8d57-6bc0-42bf-8359-68e95d7116e7
- date added to LUP
- 2024-01-08 16:34:10
- date last changed
- 2025-04-04 15:20:03
@inbook{257c8d57-6bc0-42bf-8359-68e95d7116e7,
abstract = {{This chapter offers a theoretical approach to the study of humorous digital memes. Using vaccination and pandemic policy memes on Reddit as examples, the chapter’s main contribution is an understanding of memes as forms of symbolic levelling that reflect and construct civic trust or distrust. Arguing for a theoretically informed methodological approach sensitive to memes’ polysemic ambiguity, several readings are identified making memes an ironic space, wherein the uncertainty characterising the pandemic context is expressed through humour. Beyond establishing varying opinions, identities, perspectives, emotions, and knowledge beliefs, ironic space encourages oscillation between analytical distance and myopia; in this case, relating especially to the deviation ascribed to Swedish pandemic policy. Hence, ironic space allows for safe negotiation of civic pandemic vulnerability, balancing the interactive foundation of democratic trust. Additionally, the chapter argues that the study of memes must include platform infrastructures and culture, as memes are both contained within and move across digital platforms - impacting processes of inclusion and exclusion characteristic of humorous expression and interaction.}},
author = {{Doona, Joanna}},
booktitle = {{Vaccine Hesitancy in the Nordic Countries : Trust and Distrust During the COVID-19 Pandemic}},
editor = {{Borin, Lars and Hammarlin, Mia-Marie and Kokkinakis, Dimitrios and Miegel, Fredrik}},
isbn = {{9781032305998}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{68--85}},
publisher = {{Routledge}},
title = {{“Read the room Sweden” : Memes, trust, and vulnerability in pandemic engagement}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003305859-6}},
doi = {{10.4324/9781003305859-6}},
year = {{2024}},
}