Reactivation of Internet Memes of the Military Era: Psycholinguistic Markers

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to clarify the communicative possibilities and stylistic functions of Internet memes as verbalized representatives of the military period (2022-...) and carriers “collaborative memory” (Conte, Padulo, & Fairfield, 2024) in virtual communication, which is based on socio- and psycholinguistic dimensions. The dynamics of functioning of the memes in the information space of Ukraine is explained, according to the authors, by the rapid development of this media genre, an instant associative reflection on the current events of the present, and the precedence of the expression that is embedded in an Internet meme. Research methods. To objectify the research results, we used the method of media monitoring, which helped to analyze the media space of Ukraine in order to identify the dominant internet memes of the military era; sociological respondent-analysis, which helped to understand the decoding of modern Internet memes and the definition of associative series that accompany the use of Internet memes in communication; a method of stylistic analysis that helped to analyze the techniques by which Internet memes are created / replicated in the media; elements of the cognitive method for the analysis of collaborative memory (Rajaram, & Pereira-Pasarin, 2010) in the perception of Internet memes. Results. We interviewed more than 100 respondents – mostly young people who spread (and sometimes create) internet memes themselves. The vast majority of modern war memes were created on the contrast “own / foreign”, which is most understood by the recipients. More than 70% of the respondents understand Internet memes and it is not difficult for them to decode them. Therefore, the associations caused by the Internet memes we proposed were only positive and had a humorous connotation, despite the complex psychological situation with the war. Conclusions. Internet memes of the military era became a verbalized markers of the collaborative memory of Ukrainians during the war. And, therefore, became a verbalized marker of Ukrainians during the war. And this allows us to state that humor in the form of Internet memes can be both a protective reaction of Ukrainians to the events of the war, and a new cultural fund that reflects modern social realities.