Dr Anastasia Denisova, Lecturer on the Journalism BA Honours course, was featured in an article published by Buzzfeed about why Generation Z are making memes about the possibility of World War III.
After President Donald Trump ordered an airstrike in Iran that killed General Qassem Solemimani, many people on social media were talking about it being the beginning of another world war. Part of this was the creation of memes and jokes about World War III and the draft returning.
Dr Denisova said about the concept as a way to cope: “Creating memes is also a perfectly logical way to react to the news, when you express an opinion or a judgment through a meme and, by doing so, can move the focus from the worrisome parts to the entertaining one. For centuries, laughter has been a coping mechanism.
"Making a meme about the potential catastrophe or climate change makes the thing seem less threatening, just for a moment. It helps when others react to this humorous take in the same way — it gives us this best feeling: that we are not alone."
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