Bradley E. Wiggins (Webster Vienna Private University )
Revisiting an article originally published by the International Journal of Communication in 2016 entitled Crimea River: Directionality in the Memes from the Russia-Ukraine Conflict of 2014, this contribution compares those findings to the official Twitter account of Ukraine. The account tweeted an image macro meme in December 2021, months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent war. A critical discourse analysis reveals changes in humor expression and reception before and after the invasion. A media logic defined by aspects of hyperreality and mediatization inform the interpretation of the headache meme and its reception.
Part of V5-04 "When Things Are Very, Very Bad, We Laugh": Folklore from the War in Ukraine, Thursday, October 12, 10:30 am–12:30 pm