МЕМИ ЯК СТРАТЕГІЯ ПОДОЛАННЯ ВІЙНИ

Abstract

Memes are a unit of information in the socio-cultural field. Ukrainian memes and their number increased until March 10-15, after which their number began to decrease. The aim of our study was to analyze memes for compliance with their coping strategies. The analysis and systematization of 370 units of memes created in Ukraine in the period from February 25, 2022 to March 31, 2022 was used. Of the memes considered, purely text memes accounted for 60%: meme words (rashists, Huylo, Chornobaivka, palyanytsia), meme phrases (Russian ship), meme expressions (Good evening, we are from Ukraine!). Creolized or mixed memes (picture and signature) accounted for 33%. Image only – 7% In the first days after the start of the war, memes appeared related to the desire to resist the enemy. When analyzing memes and comparing them with coping strategies, it was found that memes with constructive coping strategies predominate among Ukrainian wartime memes. The style of memes (semi-productive) is also widely used, which is aimed at finding support and restoring psycho-emotional balance. Memes of this type began to appear 2–3 weeks after the start of hostilities and are small (10-12%) of the total number of images. They reflect relationships between people, experiences related to separation from family members, attempts at complacency. According to a number of memes, the people of Ukraine are trying to overcome their anxiety not in a passive way, but by understanding the environment, which can also be perceived as a sufficiently adequate coping strategy. Attitude to such horrific events as shelling and bombing with a sufficient amount of humor allows you to master yourself in new military circumstances. The culture of memes has not escaped the problems of refugees and internally displaced persons. This issue is small and calls for understanding and compassion for refugees. Unlike typical memes, this image is not anonymous, but it has also spread widely on the Internet and has become a meme. Unproductive coping is either not represented in wartime meme culture at all, or it is ridiculed and perceived as clearly inappropriate behavior.