Exploring Gender Ideologies in Social Media Jokes During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Benedicta Adokarley Lomotey

doi:10.2478/genst-2021-0005

Abstract

Abstract This paper investigates contemporary gender ideologies as manifested in social media during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Using a Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis approach, the author analyses jokes in memes and news items posted through social media in the form of videos, pictures, and texts. Specifically, it focuses on how gender stereotypes and ideologies are constructed and sustained through humour, in several themes built upon gendered representations. The author analyses the complex configuration of factors such as beliefs, stereotypes, and ideologies, which, closely interwoven, form the tapestry of the gender order. Additionally, in order to establish the constancy of gender ideologies over time and across cultures, a correlation is made between the gender ideologies reflected in proverbs and those manifested in the internet memes. The study contends that the complex role of humour enhances the subtle propelling of gender stereotypes and ideologies and ultimately, the existing gender status quo.

Highlights

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan in the latter part of the year 2019 generated a fountain of emotions and ripple effects
5.1 Materials and procedure The data for this exploratory research were collected between March and June 2020 through a random selection of internet memes and other forms of gender-related messages that were circulated through social media, mainly WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic
Additional data were gathered from newspaper reports that were circulated via WhatsApp as well as magazine articles that collected and commented on the internet memes

Summary

Introduction

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan in the latter part of the year 2019 generated a fountain of emotions and ripple effects. The virus was shrouded in mystery, causing uncertainty, leading to anxiety, speculations, and confusion. Added to these was a surge in social media messages that attempted to create humour about the situation. These texts, pictures and videos increased just as rapidly as the number of cases of infected people worldwide. The pandemic has allowed an unprecedented interest in and bird’s eye view of global events. It has shown the world what humanity has in common despite the diversity of sociocultural backgrounds. Feminist interest in the role of discourse in the propagation of the gender order (see Section 2) presently represents “a privileged field to add scientific rigor to social relevance” (Amâncio, 1993, p. 164)

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion