Internet memes as a tool of facilitating strategic communication

Abstract

This article treats the internet memes as a way of realizing strategic communication. The paper attempts to assess the potential of internet memes of functioning as soft power tools implemented by world leaders in the field of strategic communication. The paper highlights basic notions pertaining to the respective sphere of activity: internet memes, strategic communication, political discourse, and political memes. Moreover, the work stresses the possibility of using internet memes for the purpose of manipulation based on the so called Mandela Effect. The intention of memes’ creation fully depends on the conditions of their verbalization including a need in political thoughts and ideology formation. Thus, the article highlights the ways of transforming entertaining internet memes into means of manipulation. The paper introduces an inventory of factors that can influence and manipulate the internet users' choice. The article suggests a classification of political memes (textual, non-textual, and animated) and determines the description of the concept “political memes” which is based on its narration and content. Language material was selected from the Instagram network, primarily from the official pages of English news agencies: BBC, CNN, Politico and Fox News. The paper discusses the ways of implementing Mandela Effect and its connections with political internet memes. The paper interprets the results of the research conducted by the journal "Slate" that prove the assumption concerning the internet memes' capability of facilitating of strategic communication as well as providing manipulative impact.

Key words: strategic communication, manipulation, politics, meme, soft power, political memes, Mandela Effect.