The symbolic and semantic aspect of memes

Abstract

Memes are widely used in Internet communication mainly as an entertainment element that refers to famous phrases, episodes from films or uses well-known characters. In addition to interactivity and entertainment, the meme has symbolic features, in many ways it copies a philosophical and cultural concept. That is why the article examines the symbolic and semantic aspect of memes, focused on their inner meaning, as it is relevant due to the widespread use of Internet memes in everyday communication. Due to the obvious entertainment aspect of such content, less attention is paid to semantic content, though this content is the factor that determines the recipient's reaction to hidden information. The perception of the content of memes by analogy with symbols is also of great importance; attention is also paid to this, because the perception of a cultural unit, the characteristics of which the Internet meme has, was defined as individual. This suggests that each Internet element, which is a meme, can be based on the same content, but thanks to the elements and visual techniques added by the author, it has a different meaning in the perception of a particular addressee of the message. The article is based on the works of famous cultural experts and philosophers: Ernst Cassirer, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Jean Baudrillard, Alexei Losev and their positions regarding symbols, their perception by the individual. Attention is also paid to the comparison of the concepts of «meme» and «simulacrum», their models for constructing and simulating reality in hyperreality, which is characteristic of both concepts. Thanks to the analysis of the symbolic and semantic aspect of memes, this concept can be studied much deeper, simplifying the understanding of the communicative phenomenon, which is an integral part of modern mass culture, created on the Internet by both opinion leaders and ordinary users, who in this way broadcast their thoughts and experiences.