Functions of historical memes in digital practices of youth (the case of Omsk)
- Authors: Derevyanchenko Y.I.1, Limasova S.P.2
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Affiliations:
- Omsk State University named after F. M. Dostoevsky
- Public Opinion Foundation
- Issue: No 6 (2025)
- Pages: 15-27
- Section: SOCIOLOGY OF MASS COMMUNICATIONS
- URL: https://bakhtiniada.ru/0132-1625/article/view/304502
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.31857/S0132162525060025
- ID: 304502
Open Access
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Abstract
The article analyzes the role of historical Internet memes in the digital practices of young people. The empirical basis of the paper is a research conducted in 2023–2024 among the student audience and high school students of Omsk, including: 1) content analysis of 600 most popular historical memes from thematic communities of social networks; 2) a series of five focus groups with the participation of 39 respondents; 3) an online survey of 11th grade students (N = 357). The authors identify three key functions of historical memes in the youth environment: 1) communicative (a tool of group identification and maintenance of social ties); 2) mnemonic (a way of emotional consolidation of historical knowledge); 3) personalizing (a form of personal interpretation of official historical narratives). Special attention is paid to the revealed contradiction between institutional memory policy and spontaneous meme practices, which, on the one hand, contribute to the fragmentation of historical consciousness, and, on the other hand, provide personalization and emotional assimilation of the past.
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About the authors
Yuri I. Derevyanchenko
Omsk State University named after F. M. Dostoevsky
Author for correspondence.
Email: DerevianchenkoIuI@omsu.ru
Cand. Sci. (Philos.), Assoc. Prof.
Russian Federation, OmskSofya P. Limasova
Public Opinion Foundation
Email: s_limasova@mail.ru
Research Intern
Russian Federation, NovosibirskReferences
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