Memes on Instagram: a case study of accounts dedicated to the production and circulation of these contemporary narratives

Abstract

This article is part of a research project developed at the Faculty of Journalism and Social Communication of the UNLP, whose main objective is to identify and analyze narratives, aesthetics, and policies in the scenario of technological convergence. In this context, the meme emerges as one of those recurring narratives of digital spaces, so this work addresses part of the research project's problem.
For this article, Instagram was explored as a space for producing and circulating memes, considered a contemporary humorous narrative that, although linked to previous narratives such as graffiti or stencil, is boosted in digital scenarios.
The research began with a survey of Instagram users whose accounts are dedicated primarily to producing and circulating memes. Then, these answers were related to an analysis of the memes that the different accounts publish and the links between them.
The investigation was based on Cultural Studies, theoretically and methodologically. The analysis considered the following categories: temporalities of production, conceptions of originality/ownership, conformation of networks between accounts, and monetization strategies.