Abstract:

Abstract In view of the rapid growth of “online nationalism” in recent years, this study explores the contribution of Internet memes to promoting nationalism on the Internet. The presented discourse analysis of 150 nationalist-themed memes retrieved from Facebook was conducted with the aim of examining the mechanisms of this multimodal phenomenon. As such, then, the study investigated the nature of nationalist rhetoric in Internet memes. The findings indicate that they are an efficient platform for open and radical proliferation of nationalism online. The study also revealed the functions of memes in the process of disseminating nationalism: they function as a consolidating force for nationalistically-minded people, as a token of national identity, and as a platform of free speech. The article concludes that nationalism actively exploits the space of a new genre of Internet discourse – the Internet meme. Finally, it also notes some practical implications of the study and the perspective for future research in the field.

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