How to prepare your own fuel at home
Humour, multimodality and appraisal choices in memes on fuel scarcity in Nigeria
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6030232 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ganiu Bamgbose (0000-0002-8830-7896, Lagos State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-20 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-02 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Identities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1472-5843 • E-ISSN: 1472-5851 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14725843.2025.2569487 |
| OpenAlex | W4414773483 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 21 |
Studies have explored the deployment of memes in petroleum discourse in Nigeria, but sufficient attention has not been given to the multimodal elements of memes as tools for evaluation and inter-subjective positioning through the instrumentality of humour. This study, therefore, analyses the humour potential of internet memes on the subject of fuel scarcity in Nigeria, with attention to how linguistic and non-linguistic elements are used to construct the experiences and realities of the Nigerian citizens in the face of fuel scarcity and hike. The data consist of 50 randomly collected memes from Facebook and WhatsApp between May 2024 and October 2024 from which 10 plates were purposively chosen for analysis based on their relevance to the identified appraisal patterns. The plates were analysed through an eclectic deployment of McGraw and Warren’s benign violation theory, Martin and White’s appraisal theory and Kress and van Leuween’s socio-semiotic approach to multimodality. The analysis reveals four appraisal patterns: expression of dissatisfaction through negative emotion, negative evaluation of people’s behaviour, attributing participants’ position to external voices, and pronouncing dialogic alternatives. The study concludes that humorous contents of memes are veritable sociopolitical commentary and equally serve as coping mechanism for citizens when experiencing sociopolitical adversity
Fuel cells · Multimodality · Scarcity · Water scarcity · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Humor Studies and Applications
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| Highly cited | No |
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