Memes are “a group of digital items sharing common characteristics of content, form; created with awareness of each other; circulated, imitated and transformed via the internet by many” (Phillips, 2016).
What are memes? And why is it important to study them? Ondřej Procházka is a PhD researcher affiliated with Charles University and Tilburg University. His research focuses on Internet meme communities and their sociolinguistic aspects.
A meme can shape, spread and reflect on public discourse. This paper shows how the popular LOLcat played an integral part in the 2016 US presidential elections.
The terrorist attack in New Zealand has an offline and an online dimension and it is crucial that we take this online/offline nexus on board when analyzing contemporary white terrorism. says Ico Maly (Tilburg University).
Otaku is a subculture that originated in Japan. It later spread internationally because of globalization. As a consequence, internet communities of otaku grew. There are sometimes converging, other times diverging features.
If you’re not yet familiar with the wholesome internet, it’s time you get acquainted with it - it's been around for a while already. Piia Varis (Tilburg University) guides you through this new phenomenon.
#bodypositive has been used by more than 4 million users on Instagram. This paper uses a Foucauldian lens to explore how body positive Instagrammers counter normative discourses of the body in western societies.
