Memeatic literacy: extrapolating formal spaces of political education and practice

Abstract

Much is said about digital literacy in a world increasingly structured according to network logic. But what should be the objectives of such literacy and how is it possible to guide it towards emancipation? Guided by such questions, this article proposes a reflection on spheres that go beyond formal institutions of education and political practice, understanding that some of them are decisive for democratic deliberation. Starting from the concept of everyday conversation, the analysis will focus on the political effects of humor, especially memes, on the perception of Brazilians on relevant guidelines in the national scenario and on the way they understand and exercise their citizenship. The objective of the research is to consider when and how participation, in fact, strengthens the exercise of citizenship, since the end of any literacy is to enable the citizen to influence his own society. The methodology used was the bibliographic review in the construction of the theoretical framework and the case study of the project From the joke to the policy, carried out by the Laboratory of Digital Culture (IFRJ-CNIT) in the analysis of results. This section will examine concrete initiatives for memeatic literacy with the purpose of scrutinizing them. The conclusion reached is that memealization can be a very effective practice of digital literacy, since it covers individual and collective processes. This double movement is indispensable in a context where the here is formed in the convergence of multiple connections.