The Coded Language of Humour on the Chinese Internet: A Study of Pi Sanns Work

Abstract

The theoretical studies conducted so far on humour have underestimated the highly communicative nature of it. Research on humour have substantially focused on its social implications, such as its role in the construction of communities, or its function as a means of mental evasion. This research will investigate humour’s ability to transmit meaningful information and, specifically, sensitive information, in order to highlight its function as a ‘natural form of encryption’. The study will look at the flourishing Chinese Internet, where humour has evolved into a network of common codes that seek to outsmart sophisticated systems of censorship. The theoretical approach of the research draws on the information-conveying model of Zhao Yan and the encryption theory of Flamson and Bryant in order to create an innovative theoretical model that applies computer encryption theories to humour studies with the aim of understanding how humour encodes information. The analysis of humorous contents on the Chinese Internet and, in particular, of Pi San’s animations confirms the cryptographic nature of humour and its successful use as a coded language, particularly in environments of censorship.