Get the latest tech news

Memes are the new (digital) aerial propaganda of the 21st century


Internet memes are one of the latest evolutions of “leaflet” propaganda and an effective tool in the arsenal of digital persuasion. In the past such items we...

In order to maintain the appearance of honor and a “shameless” exit from the war in the face of defeat, leaflet propaganda focused on using the statement “to cease resistance” to pander to the target audience's sensibilities ( Schmulowitz and Luckmann, 1945; Kim and Haley, 2018). By limiting oneself in the pages they view, the internet memes and news sources they gain insight from, and the lack of diversity of ideas encountered, users may be inadvertently handicapping their understanding of objective reality; leading to the potentially more dangerous activity of political astroturfing. Common memes being shared have highlighted the panic buying of toilet paper, misinformation regarding how to “cure” or inoculate oneself against the virus, and the use of nationalist based rhetoric and the responses of political leaders and other secondary individuals/groups to its spread.

Get the Android app

Or read this on r/technology

Read more on:

Photo of 21st century

21st century

Photo of memes

memes

Photo of aerial propaganda

aerial propaganda

Related news:

News photo

Is Steve Ballmer the Most Underrated CEO of the 21st Century?

News photo

I mapped almost every USA traffic death in the 21st century

News photo

SpaceX CEO sued for sexual harassment by former employees alleging “conduct of interjecting into the workplace vile sexual photographs, memes, and commentary that demeaned women and/or the LGBTQ+ community”