The Persuasive Power of Political Memes: A Coping Strategy for Mitigating the Political and Social Stress Among Youth

Abstract

A prominent feature of the modern debate on politics, particularly among youth, is the spread of political memes on social media platforms. The effects of these memes on youth coping mechanisms and mental health are still poorly understood despite their increasing popularity. This qualitative study investigates how political memes can help youths cope with social and political stress. Based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 participants, aged 18 to 25, a purposive and snowball sampling procedure was used to examine how youth use political memes to manage stress and anxiety related to political concerns using thematic analysis. This thesis investigates how political memes function as coping strategies against social and political stress. It evaluates the persuasion of memes, their function in stress relief, and youth opinions regarding meme use in political discourse. This study's conclusions add to our knowledge of how political memes function as vital resources for navigating and understanding the complex socio-political environment, in addition to being sources of amusement. Additional longitudinal and comparative studies are recommended to further investigate the long-lasting influence of political memes on youth political involvement in various cultural settings. Moreover, empirical research assessing interventions aimed at improving digital literacy can provide valuable practical knowledge on how to promote informed digital citizenship among young people, thereby positively influencing their active participation in democratic processes.

Keywords:  Memes, Stress, Persuasive power, Youth, Stress Relief, Citizenship, Social Media.