Rir, reagir e replicar: elementos de construção composicional do Gênero Meme

Abstract

Taking as a starting point the discussion on the influence of ciberculture onto language, this monographic piece of research aims at providing a possible definition and characterization of the meme genre, which commonly circulates the virtual spheres and more specifically, the Facebook platform. We propose to analyse compositional elements of the meme genre, which is momemtaneously encountering a strong increase, focusing in detail onto its structure and functionality. Taking into consideration the important contributions of Bakhtin (2011) and Bronckart (2006) onto the field of the textual genres as a theoretical frame of our study, we will, notwithstanding, also adopt a socio-discursive interactional perspective (ISD) through the works of Marcushi (2005; 2010) and Xavier (2006). These contributions will be essential for the elaboration of the table of the distinctive characteristics of the meme genre present in our discussion, as well as for the schematization of its compositional structure. We will select, for a more detailed analysis, examples of the meme genre centered around two events – the first one being the usage of the term “Bolsomito” from January until May 2016, and the second one referring to the blocking off of the instant messaging application Whatsapp in May the same year. These two events will be taken into account as they had considerable repercussions online, generating an undeniable quantity of interactions among users of the Internet. We will also consider the relevance of the phenomenon of replication for the affirmation of the meme genre. In conclusion, we can state the importance of linguistic studies for these new forms of interaction, especially for those situated in the virtual sphere, as one can easily understand that the reflections onto how these genres function constitute a suitable way for better understanding how representations of social practices are built through language.