What is it about?
Internet memes are universal digital products that serve as one of the means of expression and engagement in the digital age. The paper examined the use of internet memes about the coronavirus pandemic as a means of public engagement, sensitisation, and criticism of government actions by Nigerians during the Covid-19 pandemic. The paper also examined the role of humour as a coping mechanism during public health crises.
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Why is it important?
Our study shows that memes are not just humourous cultural artefacts whose sole purpose is comedic. Instead, memes are veritable means of socio-economic or political public engagement. In addition, our study established that humour and sarcasm are helpful for making sense of or navigating through unpleasant situations such as the one presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Perspectives
As a Nigerian who was who was not resident in the country at the time of the pandemic outbreak, writing this article was a great pleasure because not only did analyses of the memes give me and the co-author insight into how our fellow country people perceived the coronavirus outbreak and the various government policies that came along with government's efforts to prevent the spread of the virus. The humour in the memes also gave us a momentary escape from the harsh reality of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the boredom of lockdown in our respective stations.
Bimbo Fafowora
Rhodes University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Nigerians and COVID-19 humour: Discursivity and public engagement through pandemic internet memes, Journal of African Media Studies, June 2022, Intellect,
DOI: 10.1386/jams_00078_1.
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