The Function of Memes in Political Discourse

Area of Science:

• Political Science
• Philosophy of Information
• Communication Studies

Background:

• Memes are increasingly prevalent in political discourse.
• There is a lack of philosophical analysis on the impact of memes in politics.
• Existing research often separates empirical and philosophical approaches to meme studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To bridge the gap between empirical and philosophical research on political memes.
• To offer a functionalist account for in-depth analysis of memes in political discourse.
• To propose norms for the novel speech act of posting a meme.

Main Methods:

• Developing a functionalist account of political memes.
• Creating a taxonomy of eight key meme characteristics: humor, in-group identity, caricatures, replicability, context collapse, hermeneutical resources, low reputational cost, and signaling.
• Analyzing the dual role of memes in empowering marginalized communities and enabling malicious political actors.

Main Results:

• Memes can foster in-group identity and serve as hermeneutical tools, benefiting marginalized groups.
• The low reputational cost and in-group/out-group dynamics of memes can be exploited by political actors for plausible deniability.
• A functionalist framework provides a nuanced understanding of meme characteristics and their impact.

Conclusions:

• Political memes possess a dual nature, offering benefits and posing risks.
• Stricter norms are needed to govern the act of posting memes in political discourse.
• Further philosophical and empirical discussion is required to understand and regulate political memes.