Analysis of the use of memes as an exponent of collective coping during COVID-19 in Puerto Rico
Item
Title
Analysis of the use of memes as an exponent of collective coping during COVID-19 in Puerto Rico
Media International Australia
Creator
José A Flecha Ortiz
Maria A Santos Corrada
Evelyn Lopez
Virgin Dones
Subject
COVID-19
classic media
collective coping
memes
social media
Abstract
During the emergence of the novel COVID-19, a proliferation of memes related to events discussed in Spanish-speaking social media was observed. This study analysed the four stages of collective coping to determine how memes became triggered social representations that gradually monopolized the mainstream media. The research was performed through an electronic survey of 351 participants from Puerto Rico, which was subsequently analysed through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The study’s results reflected psychological implications in the use of memes in terms of how they were used to mitigate the stressful circumstances of a social event. This study is a pioneer in the application of Collective Coping Theory in the context of the effects that memes produce as a link to mitigate stressors. It also discusses how, when a culture faces a problem, memes become a decisive means to reinterpret the situation.
volume
178
issue
1
pages
168-181
Date
February 1, 2021
short title
Media International Australia
Language
en
doi
10.1177/1329878X20966379
issn
1329-878X