Memes, Satire, and the Legacy of TV Socialism

Authors

  • Teresa Pian University of Toronto

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18146/view.285

Keywords:

memes, satire, TV socialism, digital media, political humour, subversion, political critique

Abstract

This article examines the phenomenon of internet memes not just as a pervasive form of digital communication with implications for political culture, but as a new satirical medium. Through the lens of socialist television satire, this article details how memes are an evolution of the venerable history of political satire that abridge past and future traditions of political humour as subversive criticism. This analysis is conducted primarily through a case study of Hungary, although similar memes in other contexts are cited to demonstrate the externalizability of these conclusions.

Author Biography

Teresa Pian, University of Toronto

Teresa Pian is recent Master’s graduate from the Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. She received her BA (Honours) in Political Studies from Queen’s University. Teresa’s research interests include internet memes, populism, democratic quality, social media, political humor, as well as political participation and engagement.
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Published

2022-12-22

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 22 (2022): Television Satire in (Post)Socialist Europe

Section

Explorations

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