On the recontextualization of meme quiddity: A case study of the TikTok meme #аясейчасвампокажу

Abstract

This paper analyzes the discursive operation of recontextualization in shaping the multimodal meme quiddity of #аясейчасвампокажу on TikTok (TT) by examining the interplay of platform design, the pragmatic aim of the creator and user reactions. Meme quiddity is understood as a flexible (multimodal) configuration of semiotic attributes recurrent in internet meme (IM) variants, serving as a contextualization cue and formative factor of an IM family (Segev et al. 2015). The study employs top-down and bottom-up procedures combining multimodal (critical) and socio-pragmatic discourse analyses. We focus on four user strategies for recontextualizing meme quiddities: combining memes, replacing the element of quiddity, placing the quiddity in an absurd context, and embedding the quiddity into new discourse. It was noted that the platform’s algorithm and affordances impact (1) the contextualization of quiddity in the TT derivatives within a family; and (2) the modes of quiddity entextualization. Humor plays a pivotal role in shaping social group cohesion and “playful patriotism”.