ORCID

0000-0002-4690-596X

College

College of Arts and Letters

Department

English

Graduate Level

Doctoral

Graduate Program/Concentration

English (PhD) Technology and Media Studies / Rhetoric Writing and Discourse

Publication Date

4-2022

DOI

10.25883/7xz9-5615

Abstract

Internet memes are one of the latest evolutions of “leaflet” propaganda and an effective tool in the arsenal of digital persuasion. In the past such items were dropped from planes, now they find their way into social media across multiple platforms and their territory lacks spacial boundaries. Internet memes can be used to target specific groups to help build and solidify tribal bonds. Due to the ease of creation, and their ability to constantly reaffirm axiomatic tribal ideas, they have become an adroit tool allowing for mass influence across international borders. This poster seeks to display some of the common links between internet memes and leaflet propaganda. This poster particularly focuses on the tools used to “hack” the attention of anyone connected to internet using dense modality, cognitive biases, and traditional PSYOP tactics that are rooted in earlier leaflet propaganda techniques. It is a brief snapshot of some of the more potent facets of a project published in 2021 (Internet Memes: Leaflet Propaganda of the Digital Age). The original text can be found here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2020.547065/full

Keywords

internet memes, digital propaganda, social media

Disciplines

Digital Humanities | Visual Studies

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Hacking the Mind: Internet Memes as Tools of Propaganda


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