From the Revolutionary Anecdote to the Political Meme, an Approach to Understanding Digital Humor

Abstract

The revolutionary anecdote was a medium that transmitted political humor orally, during the brief truces of the civil conflict, and e-memes are a resource of current communication to continue the legacy, but now through the digital image and the social networks. Both were born because the common interest was violated, also out of curiosity and other motivations; but also as an aesthetic and critical experience; also as a form of complaint against corruption, abuse of power and the incapacity of the public function. With this critical review we intend to offer content that facilitates the understanding of the current e-Meme, from the transition from the spoken narrative to the image; but also, subject to the tradition of political humor that Mexico has expressed through different media, anecdote, conversation, printmaking, photography, caricature, cardboard and more. Although enough has already been written about the e-Meme phenomenon, and other expressive humorous forms that preceded it, this work constitutes an approach and qualitative exploration of the political humor that spreads in this digital conjuncture. Nothing arises from nothing, everything is linked to an identity inheritance; and in this sense we value the contribution of work. We resort to documentary research to identify the approximation characteristics of the Revolutionary Anecdote, based on the e-Meme; However, also, the bibliographic consultation tried to account for the humorous historicity, which focuses its attention on the needs and subjects of the voracious political sphere.