Humorous memes for Covid-19 communications and carnivalesque functions

Abstract

This study described the types and functions of humor in memes during the Covid-19 pandemic to have a better understanding of the content and the role of humor during a crisis. This study identified the general ideas that emerged from the Bisaya memes including the types and functions of Bisaya humor. Using the qualitative and research methods, the results revealed the general ideas which included health practices, security, and health behavior. Comparison, pun, and exaggeration predominated which could be attributed to the Filipinos’ creativity and fondness of vivid images and by virtue of its repressive colonial history. For carnivalesque functionality, the exposition of social inequities, therapy, and subversion of social order prevailed. These imply the Filipinos’ dissatisfaction with the government’s programs, fight against information disorders, and parodying hierarchic authority in a comical manner. Consequently, memes cannot reflect Filipinos’ knowledge of the pandemic because this is a new experience for us. Memes can express the basic needs of the people/platform to express our experiences brought by the pandemic. Lastly, humorous memes serve a dualistic function in the study: they both delight and criticize.