The meme is the method: Examining the power of the image within extremist propaganda
The meme is the method: Examining the power of the image within extremist propaganda
As contemporary society becomes immersed in a visual culture, extremist imagery is becoming progressively organised around a network of symbols, rituals, and collective meanings. The research presented here employs one distinctive meme of the Waco Siege as a template to guide the reader through three different manifestations of anti-government extremism, and provides a conceptual framework on which future research can build. The significance of this approach lies in its ability to capture both the universality of an individual meme – its overarching message on which all viewers can agree, and its peculiarity – the inherent crystallisations and contrasting narratives perceived by individual users, operating on different social media platforms, at particular moments in time. This chapter will also outline the primary methodological and ethical considerations that need to be taken into consideration by researchers using memes as the primary object of study.
Meme, Extremism, propaganda, anti-government, visual criminology
301
Kingdon, Ashton
c432a21d-9395-47d2-bc34-1ee77f63bc5c
2021
Kingdon, Ashton
c432a21d-9395-47d2-bc34-1ee77f63bc5c
Kingdon, Ashton
(2021)
The meme is the method: Examining the power of the image within extremist propaganda.
In,
Lavorgna, Anita and Holt, Thomas J.
(eds.)
Researching Cybercrimes: Methodologies, Ethics and Critical Approaches.
1st ed.
Palgrave Macmillan, .
Record type:
Book Section
Abstract
As contemporary society becomes immersed in a visual culture, extremist imagery is becoming progressively organised around a network of symbols, rituals, and collective meanings. The research presented here employs one distinctive meme of the Waco Siege as a template to guide the reader through three different manifestations of anti-government extremism, and provides a conceptual framework on which future research can build. The significance of this approach lies in its ability to capture both the universality of an individual meme – its overarching message on which all viewers can agree, and its peculiarity – the inherent crystallisations and contrasting narratives perceived by individual users, operating on different social media platforms, at particular moments in time. This chapter will also outline the primary methodological and ethical considerations that need to be taken into consideration by researchers using memes as the primary object of study.
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The Meme is the Method
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Published date: 2021
Keywords:
Meme, Extremism, propaganda, anti-government, visual criminology
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 467319
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/467319
PURE UUID: 8296b86b-87ee-4ae2-8296-fdb4b4d81e8f
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Date deposited: 05 Jul 2022 17:13
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:07
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Contributors
Editor:
Anita Lavorgna
Editor:
Thomas J. Holt
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