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The Epic Journey Of Pepe The Frog: A Study In Post-Truth, Jaq Webb
The Epic Journey Of Pepe The Frog: A Study In Post-Truth, Jaq Webb
Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)
Abstract
The internet meme Pepe the Frog is an excellent avenue for exploring the relationship between post-truth politics, new media, and viral ideas. While memes as conceptualized by Richard Dawkins are essentially timeless components of human society, internet memes as exemplified by the hijacking of Pepe the Frog by the Alt-Right and the Trump campaign are a novel force with uniquely dark implications for liberal democracy. In this study, I attempt a leftist analysis of the best thinking about Post-Truth Trump-era politics and the communication tactics of the Alt-Right, which suggests that some of the same cultural and material forces …