Memetic Commemorations

Remixing Far-Right Values in Digital Spheres

Bibliographic Data

ID22008754
AuthorsTommaso Trillò (0000-0003-2830-528X, Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Limor Shifman (0000-0002-2616-9491, Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Year2020
Publication date2020-10-05
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2162-3317 • E-ISSN: 2162-3317
PublisherUniversity of Illinois Libraries (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.5210/spir.v2020i0.11351
OpenAlexW3091782399
LanguageEN
Citations received2

Memes are efficient tools for far-right activism. They also offer a window into the reactionary values expressed by far-right constituents in digital spheres. In this paper, we conceptualize memes as a meeting place between the values of the far-right and the values characterizing memetic communication on social media. We examined this process through the lens of Schwartz’s theory of basic human values and a case study from Italy. Specifically, we focus on a photo-based meme genre that we named “alternative calendar commemorations.” These memes memorialize events or figures that are key to the imaginary of the far-right. As expected, we found strong appeals to collectivistic values such as patriotism and tradition. However, we also found a partial re-negotiation of the collectivistic values of the far-right through some of the individualistic values intrinsic to memes. In conclusion, we discuss the implications of this new amalgamation between context-specific far-right values and those embedded in the globalizing format of digital memes

Collectivism · Epistemology · Individualism · Media studies · Political science · Sociology · History · Humor Studies and Applications · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Philosophy

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access