Análisis de la percepción de los usuarios de Facebook acerca del uso comunicativo de los memes en el contexto del paro nacional de junio de 2022

Abstract

Memes have emerged as a prominent medium of communication in contemporary society. They employ diverse forms of language to facilitate communication processes, allowing individuals to express opinions, perspectives, and emotions. Memes foster the convergence of thoughts at interpersonal, social, and cultural levels, enabling various groups to freely express themselves and actively participate in political and social movements and ideologies. This study aims to analyze Facebook users' perception of the communicative use of memes in the context of the National Strike of June 2022. The research had a qualitative, cross-sectional phenomenological approach was employed for this research. The study included a total of 16 participants, aged between 19 and 57 years (M=24.69; SD=9.81). Among them, 12 were students (75%) enrolled in the Communication program at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Cuenca, while 4 were professionals (25%). Data collection involved the use of a sociodemographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Thematic analysis was conducted using Microsoft Office and yielded four thematic axes: a) the role and impact of memes, b) the reach and dissemination of memes, c) sociocultural aspects of memes, and d) marketing strategies and memes. In conclusion the findings highlight the significant reach of memes in capturing audience attention and facilitating information dissemination during the national strike.