Text by Triin Ilves, Estonia
Illustration by Karmo Ruusmaa / “Poliitika & Pullisitt”
The world of social media cultivates reactions. We as the users are both the inspiration and creators for new visual ways of expression. Not only do we crave for humor and “LOL”-worthy content, but we use it to recognize, translate and transmit our responses.
Memes, gifs, emojis and humor in general, are the heightened versions of our reactions;. They redefine the traditional forms of communication: instead of using words, we match our reactions with visuals, often exaggerating the images.
However, even the lushest forms of memes are built on old values. Satire – ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, corporations, government, or society itself into improvement, is usually meant to be humorous, but its greater purpose is often constructive social criticism.
Satire is still a widely used tool for traditional media. In newspapers, we are used to seeing a daily caricature in the opinion section. Often, they illustrate an article or capture a topical issue in the society.
As news is hardly consumed in traditional forms, so has the shift towards another hotbed for satirical drawings. In the United States, various talk shows inweave content from the Internet into classical reportage. This results in new form of political satire and make them more appealing to the younger generation.
“Many scholars, who have been studying memes suggest, that we should talk about them as forms of alternative engagement,” said Andra Siibak, Professor of Media Studies at the University of Tartu.
People who otherwise do not care so much about politics or social problems and are not actively involved in the society have now a new way to express their opinions, she added.
The critical reader might be diverted by witty remarks, but it’s important to see behind the satire and perceive whether it’s objective or biased. Even the mediums who aim objective coverage should check whether some public figures are not ruthlessly portrayed as the “bad guys” or unceasingly glorified.
Fostering reactions
New technological opportunities offer a platform to those who were in the shadows and whose voice was not heard in society, Siibak said.
Notably, a few people who created witty and popular memes have gained a relatively big audience. In Estonia, Karmo Ruusmaa, shares his satirical comics under the page “Poliitika & Pullisitt” (word game for “Politics & Bulls***”).
Portraying mostly politicians, his comics are part of the new way of consuming daily news. “I still get inspired by our political landscape and weather,” Ruusmaa said.
On better days, an interested reader might be motivated to read actual news, in worse cases, they perceive the world through layers of satire.
One might argue whether this contributes to the fake news phenomena or that it just becomes a new way of how the media remains relevant to their audience and readers.
“I do not censor myself consciously, the perception of border comes quite naturally. At one point, Delfi asked me to collaborate with them, but they started to edit out the typos – poor grammar is intentional – and direct the content. Then, I immediately dropped the partnership,” Ruusmaa explained.
“The meme phenomena will certainly not only influence the news consumption but may clearly be used for political communication that can successfully influence the views of larger groups,” Siibak noted.
Therefore, the memefication should not be perceived as just another fad. Humorous touch would be one of the ways to maintain diversity and present audiences with relevant and topical information in a new form.
