Net icons and memetic imagery of protest in online activism
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The article is dedicated to memetic practices of symbolic protest images in online activism, focusing on net memes and net icons of protest. Considering the particular affordances in the creation, distribution and reception of memetic imagery in online activism, key research questions are: (1) what are distinctive memetic practices in online activism of iconizing images on social media platforms? (2) what are specific differences between net memes and iconic imagery of protest in social media environments? and (3) how do emblematic image events on the street and iconic imagery on the internet interact in visual practices of online activists? After a theoretical discussion, these questions will be addressed by means of a qualitative analysis of a small sample of social media postings around civil rights activism (Black Lives Matter and the Belarussian Democracy Movement). Starting from a classic news icon originating from the protests against the Vietnam War (‘Ultimate Confrontation’ by press photographer, Marc Riboud, in 1967), this article analyses its recent memetic appropriations on digital platforms and in performative protest actions on the street.
Source: Visual Communication
Author: Kathrin Fahlenbrach
Institution: Universität Hamburg
Language: English
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,650
OpenAlex ID: W4407003357