Going Viral: Unmasking the Spread of New Voices Through Analyzing COVID-19 Memes

Internet memes are becoming a progressively more popular method of quick and easy communication. In this MRP project I will examine memes as a distinct method of digital communication. More specifically, my research paper will analyze the use of memes during the COVID-19 crisis of 2020, and whether memes can provide a comforting and relatable medium for dealing with public anxieties and for communicating complicated issues to large audiences. An analysis of which voices are amplified using the meme medium will also be crucial in understanding its communicative capability. I will also be analyzing which audiences most resonate with this new form of communication and how data on the popularity of memes can provide us with a better understanding of their limits and potential. Further research within this field of study is extremely relevant, and can aid in analyzing and evolving communicative practices in the foreseeable future