YouTubers as satirists: Humour and remix in online video

Abstract

<jats:p>This article aims to discuss the role humour plays in politics, particularly in a media environment overflowing with user-generated video. We start with a genealogy of political satire, from classical to Internet times, followed by a general description of “the Hitler meme,” a series of videos on YouTube featuring footage from the film Der Untergang and nonsensical subtitles. Amid video-games, celebrities, and the Internet itself, politicians and politics are the target of twenty-first century caricatures. By analysing these videos we hope to elucidate how the manipulation of images is embedded in everyday practices and may be of political consequence, namely by deflating politicians' constructed media image. The realm of image, at the centre of the Internet's technological culture, is connected with decisive aspects of today's social structure of knowledge and play. It is timely to understand which part of “playing” is in fact an expressive practice with political significance.</jats:p>

Netizens’ criticism of the government’s policy of “Meme Lockdown” during the Covid-19 pandemic; in Indonesia

“…Although its presence continues, satire changes over time, because it reflects the mentality of the period in which it was created (Cameron, 1993, Da Silva andGarcia, 2012). People's expectations or understanding of what constitutes civic engagement and participation can also change due to the use of the internet and social media (Bennett, et.al, 2011); (Bimber, B., 2014).…”

My life is a mess: self-deprecating relatability and collective identities in the memification of student issues

“…Memes have great potential to subvert dominant discourse and critique those in power. Examples of this include how users added new subtitles to Hitler's emotional breakdown in the World War 2 movie Der Untergang to point out heretical behaviour and media spin among politicians and companies (Silva & Garcia, 2012), and how memes were used in the 2016 US Presidential election in attempts to delegitimize the candidates (Ross & Rivers, 2017). At the same time memes may a force for consolidation of norms and exclusion of marginalized groups.…”

From Code to Discourse: Social Media and Linkage Mechanisms in Deliberative Systems

“…Most emblematic are image macros: template-based, single images with superimposed text, which are easily shared (Börzsei, 2013;Plevriti, 2014;Rintel, 2013). Scholars see Internet memes as a technological transformation of much older cultural forms, such as fables, caricatures, and political cartoons (Börzsei, 2013;da Silva & Garcia, 2012;Rushkoff, 1997); Shifman (2014) says memes are a kind of "(post)modern folklore." Perhaps more important than the historical roots this implies is the distinction that Internet memes are somehow different, transfigured by the digital environment.…”

“…Because replicability (i.e., ease, speed, and longevity) is afforded or constrained by the structural conditions in which a meme is created, the Internet is naturally "the ultimate meme hothouse," (Rintel, 2013, p. 255). Citizens communicate with their own interrelated graphic objects at a new scale: The simplicity and visuality of their formats, the accessibility of meme-generator websites, and the visibility and speed of digital media have maximized their ability to reach others (Börzsei, 2013;Rintel, 2013) while a do-it-yourself aesthetic invites audiences to participate themselves (Shirky, 2010;da Silva & Garcia, 2012). So, while their role in deliberation can be grounded in historical forms, Internet memes, and their potential to serve as connective tissue, transcend these.…”