Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Memes, Memes, Everywhere, Nor Any Meme To Trust: Examining The Credibility And Persuasiveness Of Covid-19-Related Memes, Ben Wasike

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examined the credibility and persuasiveness of COVID-19-related Internet memes. This approach is important given the widespread use of social media during the pandemic and the rise of meme-based communication on social media. The study found that memes from an expert source are more credible and persuasive than those from a nonexpert source. The same applied to memes with an objective message over those with a subjective message. The credibility of a meme also improved its persuasiveness, meaning that users were more likely to like it, comment on it, and share it with others. As expected, younger people were …