Multi-dimensional Nature of Internet Memes: Perspectives in Digital Populism

Digital populism, also known as cyber populism, is an offshoot of populism that has expanded across the digital space (Gerbaudo, Triple C Commun Capit Crit 15:477–489, 2017)). The features of Web 2.0 enabled users to interact, reach, share, and comment, changing the way users communicate, and providing scope for online social participation and self-expression. As a result, digital populism has evolved with the internet, facilitating online discussions about several social, political, economic, and cultural issues and stigmas over the years. The technological and media innovations of Web 2.0 led to the creation of a cultural phenomenon known as internet memes. Although the presence of humor in internet memes may appear to trivialize the issues being discussed, their immense influence and reach make them a powerful mass medium to communicate ideas. However, despite their popularity and power, the multidimensional nature of internet memes is under-examined. Memes within the realm of digital populism can be viewed in two ways: as ideologically driven texts and as works of humor. Although the political aspects of memes are often discussed, the role of humor in memes and their role as a medium for mental health communication in populist internet cultures are underexplored. Internet memes have become a strong medium of mass communication and influence in the digital space due to their instant ability to catch the attention of users through the use of witty humor. Conversations on and around mental health are happening online on a large scale. Without a doubt, memes play a major role in creating awareness about mental health on social media.