Irony Analysis of Memes on Instagram Social Media

Widia Lestari

doi:10.36841/pioneer.v10i2.192

Abstract

This study disscused the irony in memes on Instagram. The memes were selected by selecting some accounts on Instagram. The aims of this study are to identify the types of irony in meme and to describe the meaning of irony used in memes on Instagram. In conducting this research, the methodology used is descriptive method by Creswell (2008). Theory of types of irony by Perrine (1966) and theory of meaning by Leech (1981) are used to do the analysis. The result of this research shows that there are twenty six verbal irony and four situational irony. Verbal irony in memes can attract the readers interest , and situational irony gives funny effects because of discrepancy between appearance and reality, or between expectation and fulfillment. Verbal irony and situational irony found on the Instagram are illustrated through the utterances in memes, and these memes have implicit meaning (non-literal meaning). How the readers understand the memes depends on their culture, time, and individual experience. Besides, the readers can get the meaning of memes if they compare the memes with the topic that has been viral their life.

Highlights

Human as a social being throughout their life cannot be separated from their social attachment
The research problems are what are the types of irony used in memes on Instagram? and what are the meanings of irony used in memes on Instagram? the objectives of this study were to identify the types of irony used in memes on Instagram and to describe the meanings of irony used in memes on Instagram
Irony is a kind of figurative language which has special characteristics, and that is usually used by people in a daily life to express their feelings

Summary

Introduction

Human as a social being throughout their life cannot be separated from their social attachment. Human is attachment to other community members requires them to interact and communicate with each other. Humans choose language as a mean of communication. People sometimes use non-literal meaning rather than literal meaning. Literal meaning uses words exactly according to their conventionally accepted meanings. Non-literal meaning uses words that deviate with the meaning to give a meaning more complicated.

Objectives

Results

Conclusion