Humorous Visual Content and Its Effect on Social Media Users in light of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This paper explores the role of humorous communication as stress relief during the time of coronavirus pandemic. One of the most prominent manifestations was the internet humor that people resort to, in order to help themselves to keep up with what was going on around them throughout the restriction measures. Internet memes, as one of the internet's humorous content forms, is one of the main means people tend to share. Visually and verbally, memes could help them to express how they feel towards the pandemic in a way that gives them a feeling of social solidarity. The research discusses how ordinary people use social media platforms and consume visual content that conveys humor, which is transmitted through Internet Memes, to face exceptional circumstances and release the negative emotions embossed from the global situation. The research aims to explore the connection between the emotional consequences of the coronavirus pandemic with the production and consumption of Internet Humor, and how that it is reflected on the visuals circulated on social media platforms. The descriptive approach is followed in this research by collecting information and data, addressing the differences between humor and laughter and theories related to them. The research explores Internet humor and types of internet-based humor. Furthermore, it tackles the characteristics, genres, and components of Internet memes as a visual form used widely over different social media platforms. The research also analyzes a group of samples of Internet Memes shared on Facebook and circulated by Egyptians on social media platforms since the pandemic of the Coronavirus outbreak as well.