Suchergebnisse

Political Internet memes significantly contribute to discourse around contemporary events. By studying memes, scholars understand these 'units of culture' as forms of participatory content that can fulfill political functions. To explore whether users ascribe memes a political role and consider them an alternative to or supplement of traditional political participation, this study provides a user-centered perspective focusing on core motives of meme use. Via a Delphi method interview approach, participants discuss uses and gratifications of memes in political contexts. A qualitative content analysis provides insight into the role and impact of memes in social movements and everyday politics. The findings show that users perceive memes as a tool for easy, effortless engagement in the public sphere driven by the interplay of self-expression, social identity, and entertainment motives. Participants also discuss potentials and limitations of memes in political contexts, concluding that political memes can only support other efforts. The study contributes to our understanding of memes from a psychological perspective and establishes a basis for further research on deliberative political practices from a user perspective.

Internet memes are increasingly visible in political contexts and are believed to be a tool for people to express opinions, values, and experiences in a digital public sphere. This research project was undertaken to learn more about Internet meme users by exploring the uses for Internet memes and the effects of Internet meme use in political settings. Across three studies, this dissertation thus presents an exploration of the political relevance of Internet meme use. The first study dealt with the central motives for using Internet memes, and the role that users attribute to political Internet memes. In a Delphi-method interview study with meme users (N=25), participants discussed why they seek out Internet memes. A qualitative content analysis revealed that political meme use is driven by an interplay of self-expression, social identity, and entertainment motives, and Internet memes are seen as an instrument for political engagement. To focus on the political attitudes and behaviors of meme users, the second study used an online survey (N=333) to assess the antecedents and consequences of political Internet meme use. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that the use of political Internet memes can be significantly predicted by political interest and by political meme efficacy, or the belief that memes are an efficacious political activity. Further, meme use significantly predicted higher levels of engagement in conventional and unconventional political activities, even when controlling for political interest. The third study was therefore aimed at uncovering mechanisms of possible mobilizing effects of political Internet meme use. In a controlled laboratory setting, participants (N=104) were randomly assigned into one of three conditions. Subsequent prosocial behavior tendencies were not found to differ across the conditions, although marginally significant interaction effects related to cost were found, along with a result related to a measure of selfish tendencies. Implications of the overall results and recommendations for future research are discussed.

AbstractThe edtech community has promoted claims that digital education enhances access, learning, and collaboration. The COVID-19 pandemic tested these claims like never before, as higher education systems seemingly overnight had to move teaching online. Through a sequential mixed-method approach, we investigated how 85 higher education leaders in 24 countries experienced this rapid digital transformation. Through their experiences, we identified the multiple and overlapping factors that contribute to an institution's ability to realize the potential of digital education, in terms of access, learning and collaboration, whilst highlighting deeply rooted inequalities at the individual, institutional and system level. Drawing on these empirics, we put forth recommendations for closing the digital divides and pathways forward. Higher education leaders are uniquely positioned to move beyond the emergency adoption of online learning towards inclusive, long-term visions for digital education, which emphasize collaboration over individual gain.