Memes has garnered significant attention within academic circles as a cultural phenomenon within the realm of communication. The emergence of a distinct subclass within meme culture, characterised by the utilisation of homophonic puns, has been a noteworthy phenomenon in recent years. The rise in prominence, cultural significance, and influence of homophonic pun memes within the realm of social media culture can be ascribed to their distinct attributes, encompassing comedic features, linguistic ingenuity, and the incorporation of multimodal components. As a result, homophonic pun memes have emerged as a symbol of young subculture, offering novel means and perspectives for the development of youth identity and cultural defiance. Young urban women are a demographic category in which the prevalence of these phenomena is notably high. These phenomena serve as a means for female collectives to establish and shape their sense of self-identity, as well as to articulate their attitudes, perspectives, and feelings. The utilisation of homophonic pun memes on Chinese social media platforms carries notable socio-cultural implications in the formation of youth identity and emotional expression. However, it is important to acknowledge that these memes also possess the potential to confine young individuals within a pattern of symbolic consumption and diversionary entertainment. Consequently, the employment of homophonic pun memes as a means of youth subcultural resistance may ultimately lack substantive meaning.

Authors:
Jiaxin Yang, University of Technology Sydney, Australia

About the Presenter(s)
Ms. Jiaxin Yang, a graduate of the University of Sydney with a Master's in Digital Communication and Culture, will begin her PhD at the University of Technology Sydney in 2024, focusing on the dissemination of Chinese web dramas in popular culture.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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