Not as innocent as they seem : a content analysis on gender stereotyping in memes

• Main Authors: Hong, Crystal Zhen Ting, Robinson, Fiona Mei, Toh, Abigail Jia Jing, Goh, Sherlyn Jia Ling
• Other Authors: Edson C. Tandoc Jr
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Mass media::Media effects
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/76589
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

With internet memes regarded as one of the latest fads in online culture, this exploratory study examines the representation of genders in memes using a content analysis of 638 memes from the Know Your Meme Facebook page. Guided by Erving Goffman’s framework for analysis of gender advertisements, this study finds that gender stereotyping is present in memes, especially when it comes to representations of dominance and interaction. More importantly, males are observed to dominate the memetic landscape, with a severe underrepresentation of females. Although perceived as harmless entertainment by users, memes as a communication channel do propagate gender stereotypes.