Name A More Iconic Duo, I’ll Wait: Exploring the Role of Humour in Bangladeshi Internet Meme Culture
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Date
2019-08
Authors
Rakib, Md Inzamul Hossain
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Publisher
Mount Saint Vincent University
Abstract
Internet meme culture represents one of the most prevalent facets in contemporary popular culture. In this study, I explore the role of humour in Bangladeshi memes. The purpose of this study is twofold: to explore the typology and frequency of humour in Bangladeshi Internet memes and to examine the application of humour among successful memes. This study engages a mixed methods approach, consisting of quantitative content analysis and thematic analysis. Through an analysis of 1,008 memes produced and shared among users in a famous Bangladeshi meme group on Facebook (Rantages Goatposting), I explore the application of humour in both successful and unsuccessful memes in Bangladeshi meme culture. Primary findings suggest that silliness is the most dominant type of humour in Bangladeshi meme culture, followed by sentimental humour, exaggeration, and sarcasm. Successful memes applied contextual humour with relatable references, balanced incongruity, mediated superiority, and positive sentiments. Unsuccessful memes failed to apply contextual humour with relatable references, used overly sophisticated or over-simplified humour, and produced forced or contrived forms of humour. This study is a preliminary contribution to the scholarship on Bangladeshi humour and Internet meme research.
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Keywords
Digital humour, Internet meme culture, meme success, Bangladeshi memes