Svetlana Shomova «HIEROGLYPHS OF PROTEST»: INTERNET MEMES AND PROTEST MOVEMENT IN RUSSIA BASIC RESEARCH PROGRAM WORKING PAPERS SERIES: POLITICAL SCIENCE WP BRP 68/PS/2019 This Working Paper is an output of a research project implemented within NRU HSE’s Annual Thematic Plan for Basic and Applied Research. Any opinions or claims contained in this Working Paper do not necessarily reflect the views of HSE Svetlana Shomova1 «HIEROGLYPHS OF PROTEST»: INTERNET MEMES AND PROTEST MOVEMENT IN RUSSIA2 Political Internet meme is an underresearched contemporary phenomenon situated at the interface of digital media and political communication. Regarded as a unit of online transmission of cultural information, such a meme can be considered, on the on hand, as a manifestation of post- folklore, and on the other hand, as a mechanism of political participation and construction of social media users’ collective identity. The article presents the results of investigation into Internet memes generated by protest discourse in Runet (Russian Internet). Examination of a vast amount of Internet content allows drawing conclusions as to the thematic emphases of protest actions represented in Runet’s memosphere and to the specifics of the image of Russian protest as reflected in memes. Keywords: political communication, political participation, new media, meme, internet meme, protest, Russia JEL Classification: Z19 1 National Research University Higher School of Economics. Faculty of Communication, Media and Design. School of Media. Professor, Doctor of Political Science. E-mail:
[email protected] 2 The publication was prepared within the framework of the Academic Fund Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) in 2018-2019 (grant № 18-01-0053) and by the Russian Academic Excellence Project "5- 100".