Is Putin Afraid of Memes? Satire on the Runet

Semenenko, Aleksei

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-76279-7_2

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 18 publications

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“…While Stuf’s level of fame remains rather modest and local to Estonia, singer and artist Tommy Cash, who was born in Tallinn’s Kopli district, has gained international acclaim by proudly flaunting a Russian “gopnik” style, signifying both his “Easternness” and “post-Sovietness” (Pasdzierny 2018, 29). Comparable to British “Chavs” or “Neds” (Young 2012; Jones 2020, or “white trash” in the US, “gopniki” are stereotypically portrayed as wearing tracksuits (usually Adidas) and flashy jewelry, and performing a specific type of macho persona (Engström 2021, 98) including drinking vodka, smoking cigarettes, and “squatting” (Klee 2018; Raspopina 2016). Despite the term’s derogatory origins, the popularity of “Slav” memes has also elicited a sense of pride amongst some, who celebrate the gopnik as an ironic countercultural persona (Klee 2018).…”

Section: Hip-hop and Sociopolitical Developments In Estoniamentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Russophone Estonian Identity Through Popular Culture: An Analysis of Hip-Hop Hit “für Oksana”

Cole

2022

Nationalities Papers

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Since emerging in the early 1990s, Estonian hip-hop has developed in line with other cultural and artistic projects in the country, reflecting attempts to foster a homogeneous society, yet ultimately cultivating one where diversity and multiculturalism prevail. As a genre where minority groups are frequently presented as “authentic,” hip-hop and its visual and performative manifestations provide a valuable platform to examine expressions of identity. To this end, several Estonian hip-hop musicians have explored aspects of being “post-Soviet” in contradistinction to official hegemonic discourses, which outright reject the Soviet past and emphasize titular ethnicity as a cornerstone of national identity. This article uses Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Multi-Modal Discourse Analysis (MMDA) to examine the lyrics and accompanying video of popular hip-hop song “für Oksana” by “Nublu featuring Gameboy Tetris.” Doing so highlights how the song’s basic narrative acts as a metaphor for experiences of integration processes between ethnic Estonians and Russophones since Estonian independence. I argue that through a combination of linguistic and cultural codeswitching, “für Oksana” constitutes an expression, performance, and negotiation of Russophone Estonian identity from both insider and outsider perspectives, emphasizing the need to understand Russophone Estonians as more than simply “Russians who live in Estonia.”

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Section: Hip-hop and Sociopolitical Developments In Estoniamentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Russophone Estonian Identity Through Popular Culture: An Analysis of Hip-Hop Hit “für Oksana”

Cole

2022

Nationalities Papers

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Online memes on anti-American propaganda and the overlooked “silent majority” in support of authoritarian populism in Putin’s Russia

Kananovich

2023

New Media & Society

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Although memes are considered disruptive to elite control over political discourse, their viability for contestation in authoritarian settings remains uncertain. The present study addresses this question by analyzing Russian memes created to ridicule the Kremlin’s propaganda, which accuses the United States of undermining Russia domestically and internationally. These memes depict US presidents engaging in trivial acts of sabotage, from damaging worn-out roads to urinating in dilapidated buildings, thereby exposing the absurdity of Russia’s claims to superpower status. Importantly, the memes go beyond ridiculing the regime to vilify “ordinary Russians” as unsophisticated subscribers to the government’s narrative. The study shows that by focusing on the tug-of-war between the authorities and the protesting “vocal minority,” communication scholars may overlook a sizable “silent majority” that enables authoritarian consolidation. I argue that such outgroup memetic articulations, despite their limitations in mobilizing broader publics, offer valuable insights into authoritarian populism that surpass this empirically flawed binary logic.

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Is Putin Afraid of Memes? Satire on the Runet

Cited by 2 publications

References 18 publications

Understanding Russophone Estonian Identity Through Popular Culture: An Analysis of Hip-Hop Hit “für Oksana”

Understanding Russophone Estonian Identity Through Popular Culture: An Analysis of Hip-Hop Hit “für Oksana”

Online memes on anti-American propaganda and the overlooked “silent majority” in support of authoritarian populism in Putin’s Russia

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