Embracing LOLitics: Popular Culture, Online Political Humor, and Play

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorTay, Geniesa
dc.date.accessioned2012-09-25T21:49:50Z
dc.date.available2012-09-25T21:49:50Z
dc.date.issued2012en
dc.description.abstractThe Internet, and Web 2.0 tools can empower audiences to actively participate in media creation. This allows the production of large quantities of content, both amateur and professional. Online memes, which are extensions of usually citizen-created viral content, are a recent and popular example of this. This thesis examines the participation of ordinary individuals in political culture online through humor creation. It focuses on citizen-made political humor memes as an example of engaged citizen discourse. The memes comprise of photographs of political figures altered either by captions or image editing software, and can be compared to more traditional mediums such as political cartoons, and 'green screens' used in filmmaking. Popular culture is often used as a 'common language' to communicate meanings in these texts. This thesis thus examines the relationship between political and popular culture. It also discusses the value of 'affinity spaces', which actively encourage users to participate in creating and sharing the humorous political texts. Some examples of the political humor memes include: the subversion of Vladimir Putin's power by poking fun at his masculine characteristics through acts similar to fanfiction, celebrating Barack Obama’s love of Star Wars, comparing a candid photograph of John McCain to fictional nonhuman creatures such as zombies using photomanipulation, and the wide variety of immediate responses to Osama bin Laden's death. This thesis argues that much of the idiosyncratic nature of the political humor memes comes from a motivation that lies in non-serious play, though they can potentially offer legitimate political criticism through the myths 'poached' from popular culture.en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10092/7091
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.26021/4866
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of Canterbury. Media and Communicationen
dc.relation.isreferencedbyNZCUen
dc.rightsCopyright Geniesa Tayen
dc.rights.urihttps://canterbury.libguides.com/rights/thesesen
dc.subjectdigital mediaen
dc.subjectpopular cultureen
dc.subjectnews mediaen
dc.subjectpoliticsen
dc.subjectpolitical humoren
dc.subjectplay theoryen
dc.subjectjokesen
dc.subjectcomedyen
dc.subjectInternet cultureen
dc.subjectviral mediaen
dc.subjectonline mediaen
dc.subjecttextual poachingen
dc.subjectmemesen
dc.subjectremixen
dc.subjectlolcatsen
dc.subjectloliticsen
dc.subjectInternet memesen
dc.subjectpolitical satireen
dc.subjectparticipatory cultureen
dc.subjectonline spacesen
dc.subjectpolitical cartoonsen
dc.subjectpolitical commentaryen
dc.subjectsocial mediaen
dc.subjectdiscourse analysisen
dc.subjectnarrative analysisen
dc.subjecttextual analysisen
dc.subjectcase studiesen
dc.subjectcrowdsourcingen
dc.subjectlanguageen
dc.subjectnew literacyen
dc.subjectpolitical criticismen
dc.subjectbarack obamaen
dc.subject9/11en
dc.subjectosama bin ladenen
dc.subjectjoe bidenen
dc.subjectjohn mccainen
dc.subjectsarah palinen
dc.subjectvladimir putinen
dc.subjectstephen colberten
dc.subjectjon stewarten
dc.subjectstar warsen
dc.subjectthe daily showen
dc.subjectthe colbert reporten
dc.subjectsaturday night liveen
dc.subjectsouth parken
dc.subjectzombiesen
dc.subjectcomicsen
dc.subjectredditen
dc.subjecttumblren
dc.subjecttwitteren
dc.subjectphotoshopen
dc.subjectphotomanipulationen
dc.subjectonline humoren
dc.subjectfanfictionen
dc.subjectbest thesis everen
dc.subjectcelebrity cultureen
dc.subjecttabloid journalismen
dc.subjectgaffesen
dc.subjectpresidential electionsen
dc.subjectcitizen cultureen
dc.subjectpolitical participationen
dc.subjectaffinity spacesen
dc.subjectparodyen
dc.subjectintertextualityen
dc.subjectvirtual communitiesen
dc.titleEmbracing LOLitics: Popular Culture, Online Political Humor, and Playen
dc.typeTheses / Dissertations
thesis.degree.disciplineMedia and Communicationen
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Canterburyen
thesis.degree.levelMastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Artsen
uc.bibnumber1794119en
uc.collegeFaculty of Artsen
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Name:
thesis_fulltext.pdf
Size:
38.47 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Tay_Use of thesis form.pdf
Size:
98.47 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
Collections
Arts: Theses and Dissertations