Internet memes and the twofold articulation of values

Defined as core beliefs about the desirable that guide people’s actions and thought, values have been pivotal constructs in many disciplines but somewhat marginal in communication and new media

In this talk, Limor Shifman will argue that internet memes construct two types of values: overt values, which are expressed through memes’ content, and covert values, which are intrinsic to memes as communicative formats. Analysing the communicative values embedded in memes reveals unexpected similarities between memes as seemingly disparate as Pepe the Frog and #MeToo.

Limor Shifman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. Her research focuses on digital media, internet memes and the social construction of humour.