Conceptualization of Internet Meme in Media Communication Theory: A Review of Typologies
Klushina N.I. Syzdykova A.A. Dung T.T.T. Vasilchenko M.A.
2025RUDN University
RUDN Journal of Studies in Literature and Journalism
2025#30Issue 2428 - 441 pp.
Explored the evolution of Internet memes as a polycode media phenomenon, from early web forms (1990s) to modern hybrid genres (2020s). Based on the corpus of viral memes from Russian and international platforms, their structural and meaningful transformations are analyzed in the context of the theory of memetics. The author identifies the key stages of meme culture development, demonstrating the relationship between the technological capabilities of platforms and genre diversity. The proposed typology integrates traditional formats (demoti-vators, macros) with innovative ones (mashups, AI-generated content), revealing the logic of their creation and distribution. The methodological framework combines discourse analysis, a linguosemiotic approach, and the study of platform constraints. The results reveal stable patterns of meme transformation under the influence of the digital environment, including the transition to short video formats and the growth of professional production, and demonstrate how meme semantics reflect a shift in generational values. Telegram’s role in professionalizing memes using its own creation tools has been reduced. The study contributes to the understanding of media virulence and cultural reflection in the digital age, emphasizing the role of memes as markers of sociocultural change.
creolized text , genre forms , Internet communication , Internet genre , perlocu-tionary effect , typology of memes
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Department of Russian Language Stylistics, Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 9 Mokhovaya St, bldg 1, Moscow, 125009, Russian Federation
Department of TV and Radio and Public Relations, Faculty of Journalism and Social Sciences, Eurasian National University, 6 Yanushkevich St, Astana, 010008, Kazakhstan
Department of Mass Communications, Faculty of Philology, RUDN University, 10 Miklukho-Maklaya St, bldg 2, Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation
Department of Russian Literature and Intercultural Communication, Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, 6 Akademik Volgin St, Moscow, 117485, Russian Federation
Department of Russian Language Stylistics
Department of TV and Radio and Public Relations
Department of Mass Communications
Department of Russian Literature and Intercultural Communication
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