Memes are aiding democratic dissent and discourseadmin09/11/2024
Ashraf Engineer
November 9, 2024
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Hello and welcome to All Indians Matter. I am Ashraf Engineer.
If you’re active on social media, chances are you’ve come across and perhaps even shared a meme that makes a political statement. Humour and irony are hardly new to political commentary but in India, like elsewhere in the world, memes are increasingly becoming the means to show dissent, express dissatisfaction with the political leadership or to make a point about what’s happening in the world.
Such is the impact of memes in a digital world, they are used to initiate and sustain collective action to even initiate political change. After all, a key part of collective action is connective action, which is done by the sharing of content. In the global context, one example that comes to mind is the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Many socio-political researchers have pointed out that the democratising nature of the internet and the discourse through memes can even lead to a more participatory citizenship.
So, how are memes being used in the Indian political context and what is their impact?
SIGNATURE TUNE
The term ‘meme’ was coined by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book ‘The Selfish Gene’. The term is derived from Greek the word ‘mimēma’, or ‘that which is imitated’. Since then, the term has been widely used in varied disciplines, such as psychology, philosophy, anthropology and linguistics. However, it was till recently ignored in communication. It is only over the past decade and a half that mass communication researchers have started imagining memes as a part of human socio-political consciousness. This is largely because, in a time when content flows seamlessly from one medium or platform to another, memes have become common and relevant to various debates.
So, memes are used to comment on anything, from a fashion trend to politics. Some researchers are studying memes to even understand contemporary culture. Memes are now a legitimate component of pop culture and indicative of public opinion.
In India, this is particularly important because we are living through an age of shrinking freedom of expression. Dissent against this trend takes various forms, one of which is memes. In fact, it can be argued that the resistance to the attack on freedoms and fundamental rights can be better understood if their study includes innovations in expression like memes.
In a situation where even facts are not accepted, and citing them is often termed anti-national, memes are often seen as a recourse by dissenters. The fact that they are humourous means they are accepted by a wider audience and are shareable. It is reminiscent of what happened during the Emergency. A newspaper published an obituary that read: ‘D’OCracy – DEM, beloved husband of T Ruth, loving father of LI Bertie, brother of Faith, Hope, Justicia.” The obituary thus referenced democracy, truth and liberty without inviting the attention of the censors.
So, memes offer a creative way to discuss issues and create awareness against the distortion of facts and state propaganda.
Memes are, at the core, about expression and establishing relatability. In the attention economy, where ironically attention is in short supply, they can get you thinking. That way, memes can construct narratives and even organise people for movements.
It helps that they are anonymous and their creators can therefore avoid state persecution or censorship. You can always argue that the memes are ambiguous in their meaning and what is a political stand to one person is merely a joke to another. That is why many memes are designed as parodies or mash-ups of absurdist humour. Humour, users say, is like a digital pain reliever that advances an argument without it being abrasive.
Over time, templates have been developed for memetic strategies that movements modify to their requirements. For example, the #BlackLivesMatter template was modified to #DalitLivesMatter in India to highlight caste-based oppression. In Indonesia, it was modified to #PapuanLivesMatter, which was about discrimination against indigenous Papuans.
Everywhere, memes have been used to simplify complex issues through humour and emotion, offer affirmation regarding an issue and to create communities around shared ideologies.
Among socio-political researchers, a consensus is fast emerging that, once you go past the frivolity, they are an important form of political participation. So, memes have been used to lampoon the double standards of politicians and to resonate emotionally on important issues. In fact, many meme creators and users have described the activity as way of engaging in online discourse that in some cases supports activism. Given their effectiveness, even governments have used memes to reach citizens with their own narratives.
Often, those battling government impositions use irony and humour to demystify and take apart the façade of competence and control. Take Kashmir, for instance. After the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state, the Centre imposed what would become the longest internet shutdown in the world imposed by any democracy. All the Kashmiris had was slow 2G. Yet, they managed to respond with a flurry of memes mocking the authorities.
One Instagram page shared a meme that poked fun at the authorities for failing to stop social media use in Kashmir despite bringing in firewall experts from Bangalore to block virtual private networks. The meme showed a locked gate in an open field and the caption said: “Finally found the rare footage of the VPN firewall created by Bangalore experts in Kashmir.”
Such examples show why some research views political memes as pro-democratic instruments. Memes help the rapid spread of ideas. On viewing them, users are spurred to engage in discussions on subjects they would have normally paid no attention to. Some research offers evidence that exposure to memes may even prompt young people to become more politically active.
So, meme culture is captivating society’s imagination. Its capacity to stir people to thought and action is forcing civil society and political players alike to incorporate memes into their strategies to mobilise support.
Let’s look back in time a little. Memes didn’t emerge in a vacuum or with no back story. Political cartoons have existed for decades – take the visual commentary of RK Laxman, for example. These cartoons have been widely thought to be reflective of the voice of the common man. They have a long and rich heritage, and are seen as social and political records of their times. So influential were the cartoonists that some were courted by political groups for their support.
While you could argue that memes are an evolved version of political cartoons, many believe their impact is often greater. This is because of the level of engagement they inspire. Memes invite viewers to use their own imaginations and opinions through what they show. Thus, the same meme might impact different audiences differently.
The other aspect is the multimedia nature of memes. Political cartoons used a visual-literary template but memes can be audio-visual too.
At a time when powerful institutions are often partisan or are not playing the role they were created for, memes offer a language of resistance that is contemporary, easy to produce and quick to disseminate. Harnessing their power enables citizens to project their democratic power and to initiate action when necessary.
By doing so, memes represent a welcome addition to our democratic discourse.
Thank you all for listening. Please visit allindiansmatter.in for more columns and audio podcasts. You can follow me on Twitter at @AshrafEngineer and @AllIndiansCount. Search for the All Indians Matter page on Facebook. On Instagram, the handle is @AllIndiansMatter. Email me at editor@allindiansmatter.in. Catch you again soon.
Ashraf Engineer
November 9, 2024
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Hello and welcome to All Indians Matter. I am Ashraf Engineer.
If you’re active on social media, chances are you’ve come across and perhaps even shared a meme that makes a political statement. Humour and irony are hardly new to political commentary but in India, like elsewhere in the world, memes are increasingly becoming the means to show dissent, express dissatisfaction with the political leadership or to make a point about what’s happening in the world.
Such is the impact of memes in a digital world, they are used to initiate and sustain collective action to even initiate political change. After all, a key part of collective action is connective action, which is done by the sharing of content. In the global context, one example that comes to mind is the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Many socio-political researchers have pointed out that the democratising nature of the internet and the discourse through memes can even lead to a more participatory citizenship.
So, how are memes being used in the Indian political context and what is their impact?
SIGNATURE TUNE
The term ‘meme’ was coined by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book ‘The Selfish Gene’. The term is derived from Greek the word ‘mimēma’, or ‘that which is imitated’. Since then, the term has been widely used in varied disciplines, such as psychology, philosophy, anthropology and linguistics. However, it was till recently ignored in communication. It is only over the past decade and a half that mass communication researchers have started imagining memes as a part of human socio-political consciousness. This is largely because, in a time when content flows seamlessly from one medium or platform to another, memes have become common and relevant to various debates.
So, memes are used to comment on anything, from a fashion trend to politics. Some researchers are studying memes to even understand contemporary culture. Memes are now a legitimate component of pop culture and indicative of public opinion.
In a situation where even facts are not accepted, and citing them is often termed anti-national, memes are often seen as a recourse by dissenters. The fact that they are humourous means they are accepted by a wider audience and are shareable. It is reminiscent of what happened during the Emergency. A newspaper published an obituary that read: ‘D’OCracy – DEM, beloved husband of T Ruth, loving father of LI Bertie, brother of Faith, Hope, Justicia.” The obituary thus referenced democracy, truth and liberty without inviting the attention of the censors.
So, memes offer a creative way to discuss issues and create awareness against the distortion of facts and state propaganda.
Memes are, at the core, about expression and establishing relatability. In the attention economy, where ironically attention is in short supply, they can get you thinking. That way, memes can construct narratives and even organise people for movements.
Over time, templates have been developed for memetic strategies that movements modify to their requirements. For example, the #BlackLivesMatter template was modified to #DalitLivesMatter in India to highlight caste-based oppression. In Indonesia, it was modified to #PapuanLivesMatter, which was about discrimination against indigenous Papuans.
Everywhere, memes have been used to simplify complex issues through humour and emotion, offer affirmation regarding an issue and to create communities around shared ideologies.
Often, those battling government impositions use irony and humour to demystify and take apart the façade of competence and control. Take Kashmir, for instance. After the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state, the Centre imposed what would become the longest internet shutdown in the world imposed by any democracy. All the Kashmiris had was slow 2G. Yet, they managed to respond with a flurry of memes mocking the authorities.
One Instagram page shared a meme that poked fun at the authorities for failing to stop social media use in Kashmir despite bringing in firewall experts from Bangalore to block virtual private networks. The meme showed a locked gate in an open field and the caption said: “Finally found the rare footage of the VPN firewall created by Bangalore experts in Kashmir.”
Such examples show why some research views political memes as pro-democratic instruments. Memes help the rapid spread of ideas. On viewing them, users are spurred to engage in discussions on subjects they would have normally paid no attention to. Some research offers evidence that exposure to memes may even prompt young people to become more politically active.
So, meme culture is captivating society’s imagination. Its capacity to stir people to thought and action is forcing civil society and political players alike to incorporate memes into their strategies to mobilise support.
While you could argue that memes are an evolved version of political cartoons, many believe their impact is often greater. This is because of the level of engagement they inspire. Memes invite viewers to use their own imaginations and opinions through what they show. Thus, the same meme might impact different audiences differently.
The other aspect is the multimedia nature of memes. Political cartoons used a visual-literary template but memes can be audio-visual too.
At a time when powerful institutions are often partisan or are not playing the role they were created for, memes offer a language of resistance that is contemporary, easy to produce and quick to disseminate. Harnessing their power enables citizens to project their democratic power and to initiate action when necessary.
By doing so, memes represent a welcome addition to our democratic discourse.
Thank you all for listening. Please visit allindiansmatter.in for more columns and audio podcasts. You can follow me on Twitter at @AshrafEngineer and @AllIndiansCount. Search for the All Indians Matter page on Facebook. On Instagram, the handle is @AllIndiansMatter. Email me at editor@allindiansmatter.in. Catch you again soon.