Running Head: Philippine Political Memes

Running head: PHILIPPINE POLITICAL MEMES
University of the Philippines
Political Meme and Filipino Young Adult Meme Enthusiasts:

The Use of Memes as a Means of Expressing Political Views in Social Media
Joyce Anne N. Garcia

Claire Anne P. Luces
Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology
Adviser:
Bryan Q. Engay
Applied Psychology
University of the Philippines
Extension Program in Pampanga
A.Y. 2018-2019
PHILIPPINE POLITICAL MEMES
Abstract
This study is a descriptive-exploratory research that aimed to identify the factors that
influence the use of political memes of Filipino Young Adults, know the impacts of political
memes on their current political stand, and to know the positive and negative effects of using
political memes as a way of expressing their political views. Fourteen political meme enthusiasts,
who likes, shares, and creates political memes, ages 18-37 years old are the participants of this
study. Filipino young adults were specifically chosen because they make up most of the voting
population and are also wide users of social media. The participants used purposive sampling
technique by joining political meme groups and looking for political memes that went viral. An
online interview was conducted, and the results were analyzed using thematic content analysis.
The research found that political memes do have an impact on Filipino Young Adults’ expression
of political views.
Keywords: Political memes, meme enthusiasts, politics, Philippines, young adults, social media
Figure 1. Publication material for the Political Meme Study

Chapter I: Introduction
Background of the Study
Have you ever seen this digital picture of
guy who points out to a yellow butterfly (Figure 2),
or similar picture hierarchy of exploding brain with
in-line quotations (Figure 1)? If yes, then you have
seen a meme. During this 21st century, memes
became so popular in social media sites. An internet
Figure 2. Is this a Pigeon Meme meme or meme is a digital picture or video spread
through the internet to elicit humor or satire. Memes can illustrate persons, places, quotations,
questions, or other media in the form of picture or video. Antal (2016) describes that memes are
effective communicators of information even though the rules of grammar and language are
violated. The term “meme” is first coined by Dawkin (1976) which describe the way how cultural
information spreads through imitation and time. Similarly, an internet meme is imitated or digitally
“shared” from one person to another. Filipinos are avid meme enthusiasts because they like to like,
share, or create memes. Lim, Macias, Riparip, and Duritan (2016) stated in their study that the
catalyst of Filipino meme proliferation happened when the Department of Tourism issued their
“It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign. Various pictures began to spread after the said
campaign. The researchers chose to study the political memes in the Philippines and how Filipinos,
specifically young adults, use them as a means of expressing their political stand because memes
are being widely proliferated the internet, especially when election period is drawing near or a
political event took place. Furthermore, this study aims to understand why Filipinos use political
satires as a medium for expressing their political discourse.

Aside from the use of political memes in the Philippines, the research is focused mainly on
young adults with age ranging from 18 to 29 years old. A study by Lenhart, Purcell, Smith, and
Zickuhr (2010) about Social Media and Mobile Internet Use Among Teens and Young Adults
found that ninety-three percent of young adults ages 18-29 use the Internet frequently on the past
decade. These two age groups (i.e. the teens and young adults) are found to be most active online
users, but Lenhart et al. (2010) also mentioned that the Internet users among the other age cohorts
especially the senior citizens are increasing. Studies also show that internet memes are highly
popular among college students, mostly on the young adult age range, in the Philippines (Sagun,
2013).
This study is a qualitative research that is Descriptive-Exploratory research in nature. It
aims to have an in-depth exploration and understanding of existing information about political
memes as a means of expressing political discourse.
Objectives of the Study
The focus of the study is to conduct an in-depth understanding of the political memes as
Filipino young adults' means of expressing political opinions. Even though the study revolves
around the use of political memes, the researchers also want to focus on individual meme
enthusiasts. This research is focused on gathering data from Filipino young adults who are actively
engaging in political discourse through internet memes. Specifically, this research aims:
● to identify and examine the factors that influence the use of political memes of Filipino
Young Adults,
● to know the impacts of political memes on their current political stand,
● to know the positive effects of using political memes as a way of expressing their political
views, and
● to know the negative effects of using political memes as a way of expressing their political
views.
Statement of the Problem
This study is a qualitative research using a Descriptive-Exploratory approach that aims to have
a better understanding of the political expression of young adults through internet memes. This
study examined why young adults in the Philippines choose internet memes in expressing political
discourse, given that they have been found to depend heavily on the Internet for entertainment and
information (Urista, Dong, & Day, 2009). The following are the general research questions that
the researchers aim to find answers throughout the study:
● What are the factors that influence the use of political memes of Filipino young adults?
● What are the impacts of political memes in their current political stand?
● What are the positive effects of using political memes as a way of expressing their political
views?
● What are the negative effects of using political memes as a way of expressing their political
views?
Significance of the Study
This study will help enrich the research regarding the use of political memes in the
Philippines, given that political memes are being widely used in the current generation, not only
during the election period but throughout the year. This study also gives an overview of the 2019
Philippine midterm elections by knowing and analyzing the thoughts of political meme creators.
The research will also help understand Filipino young adults in understanding how their
beliefs and opinions are influenced by internet memes. The political stands of some young adults
are also reflected in this paper.

The field of Political Psychology could benefit from this study because it helps understand
how Filipino young adults’ think their political views and process their political stance. It also
shows the political activity and behavior of individuals that are expressed through internet memes
that are found in social media sites.
This study could be also a great help in the area of Social Psychology and Developmental
Psychology since the interactions of young adult meme enthusiasts through political memes are
analyzed. Furthermore, the chosen participants of the study are young adults with age ranging from
18-40 years old. Literature has proven that the young adulthood stage is one of the most crucial
stages of development, especially in building interpersonal relationships with other people. This
study could be used in developing new approaches to this stage of development. Furthermore,
given that the legal age for voting in the Philippines is 18 years old, studying young adults' political
expression is highly relevant.
Aside from Social Psychology, an area of Psychology that could benefit the most from the
study is Sikolohiyang Pilipino. The study mainly focuses on individual Filipino young adults and
their political expression using internet memes. This study could help understand why Filipinos,
especially young adults, are highly invested in political memes that are found in social media sites
whether it is election season or not. This study may also open the doors to further researches which
explore the capacities of the Filipino concepts (e.g. Filipinos' concept of humor and Filipinos'
influence on decision making) and use them in understanding the psychological problems
encountered by the Filipinos in the context of our own culture. The research aims to add knowledge
to the field of Filipino psychology.
Aside from Psychology, the current research is also beneficial to business and advertising
industries. Some online publication materials of companies are in the form of memes. This study
can be a medium in understanding why brands and companies nowadays use memes as one of their
marketing strategies given that internet memes are said to influence how Filipino young adults
decide. The positive and negative impacts of memes to the people are studied in this research.
Lastly, this study is useful for future researchers who also want to study the use of political
memes as a way of expressing political discourse. Through this research, Filipino young adults
who use internet memes as a medium of communication, specifically in the field of politics, can
be understood and examined.
Scope and Delimitations
The scope of this research revolves on Facebook political memes, specifically Facebook
pages and Facebook groups that mainly tackles political memes in the Philippines. However,
supplementing social media sites were also be used in the study. The memes posted in other social
media accounts such as Twitter and Tumblr are only supplementary to Facebook memes because
these meme posts are sometimes shared on Facebook.
This research is a qualitative research using a Descriptive-Exploratory Approach. Surveys
and in-depth interviews were done by the researchers to gather an extensive understanding of the
views of Filipinos to political memes. Only the impacts of political memes, memes which involve
political issues, political figures, and political events in the Philippines, said in the interviews will
be reflected in this study.
Purposive and snowball sampling were used gathering political meme enthusiasts. The
researchers joined political meme groups and pages to find qualified participants. Another
limitation of the study is that the environment of the study mainly focused on the digital
interactions of political meme enthusiasts within the screens of the gadgets. The interview
participants were asked whether they would like to engage in chat, phone, or personal interviews.
Although chat and phone interviews were allowed to have online engagements with meme
enthusiasts, the presence of computer screens or cell phone screens may alter the actual reactions
and understanding of the political meme enthusiasts since non-verbatim reactions were not
recorded. Thus, chat or phone interview responses may differ from personal engagement with the
participants.
Lastly, the study is limited to Filipino young adult meme enthusiasts who like, share, and
create political memes. The participants are fourteen political meme creators who are also meme
likers and sharers. Only the young adults, with age ranging from 18-37, are the chosen interview
participants in this study, since, statistically speaking, young adults are heavy consumers and avid
users of memes (Duggan & Brenner, 2012), and young adults aged 18 to 39 years old consist
41.24% of all registered voters1 of the 2019 midterm elections (COMELEC, 2019).
Definition of Terms
● Political Meme. Political memes are the images, videos and other media that present
political knowledge, political views, or political beliefs of a person in the social media. See
also the definition of meme.
● Filipino Young Adults. The Filipino young adults for this study are the people who are
currently ages 18-37 that are born in the Philippines.
● Impacts. Impacts refer to the actions done by the Filipino young adult meme enthusiasts
after engaging with political memes.
● Effects. Effects refer to the positive and negative effects of political memes on Filipino
young adult meme enthusiasts.
1
See Appendix F. Number of Registered Voters by Age Group per Region
● Political expression. A political expression refers to the way meme enthusiasts convey
political memes to express their political stand.
● Political stand. A political stand refers to the firm political bias of Filipino meme
enthusiasts to the different issues of the Philippines.
● Political view. A political view is defined as how a meme enthusiast see and understand a
political issue.
● Administrator. An administrator or an admin is a person that manages all the settings of
a Facebook political meme group or page. An admin can regulate the comments, posts,
viewers, and members of the group or page.
● DDS. DDS or Diehard Duterte Supporters are the ones who support President Duterte and
his administration.
● Dilawan. Dilawan refers to the group of people who support the Aquinos and his
administration. Dilaw, the Tagalog term for yellow, is the symbolic color of the Aquino
politicians.
● Facebook Group. A Facebook group refers to the Filipino political meme group where
Internet people join and immerse to interact with other people of the political meme group.
When a Facebook group is created, it can be open to the public or make it private. A group
obtains its members by joining the group, by gaining an invitation, and by the
administrators' approval.
● Internet. The internet is the worldwide network of networks wherein one person can gather
and share political meme information with others. The internet or “net” is also a medium
of communication used by meme enthusiasts.

● Like. The term “like” refers to the act of clicking the “like” or the thumbs-up button on a
social media post to react to a political meme. See also the definition of React.
● Meme. For this study, the term "meme" refers to Internet memes. A meme refers to a
picture or a video in the Internet that conveys a message and may elicits emotional reaction
to its audience. See also the definition of Political Meme.
● Meme culture. The meme culture is the shared way of how memes are generated,
projected, and understood by the people.
● Meme enthusiasts. For this purpose of this research, the term “meme enthusiasts” is the
collective term used for the Filipino young adults who are political meme likers, sharers,
and creators.
● Page. A page refers to a Facebook page that posts political memes. Unlike a Facebook
group, a page is more open and more accessible to the public. It does not need the approval
of the administrators when viewing its posts. A page gains its viewers by the liking or
following the page. Also, a Facebook page is used to advertise a celebrity, business,
interest, or group.
● Post. For this study, the term “post” can be the act of publishing a political meme, or the
specific display of a political meme in a social media account.
● React. The definition of “react” is the act of long pressing the “like” button and selecting
the heart, haha, wow, sad, or angry button in a social media post.
● Share. The term “share” for this study refers to the act of clicking the “share” button on a
social media post in order to post or repost a political meme.
● Social media site. Social media sites refer to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr wherein
Filipino young adult meme enthusiasts like and share memes.

Chapter II. Review of Related Literature
This study's review of related literature revolves around political memes and the Filipino
young adults. The main sub-topics such as the meme, the meme culture, young adults, and Filipino
young adults are described and defined. Furthermore, the relationship between social media,
memes, politics, Filipinos and young adults are analyzed to gain a deeper overview of the study.
Lastly, the method of this study ‐ the descriptive-exploratory approach - will also be discussed in
this chapter.
Meme
The first account recorded for using the term “meme” was from Dawkin’s The Selfish Gene
(1976). Dawkin wanted to use a term for “cultural replicator” that sounds like the term “gene,” so,
he came up with the word meme. The meme is an abbreviation for "mimema” which is derived
from the Greek mimesis meaning "imitation." It was defined as a "unit of cultural transmission or
a unit of imitation." Dawkin (1976) even stated that the term "meme" should be pronounced like
"cream." Tunes, ideas, catchphrases, clothes fashion, ways of making pots or building arches are
examples given by Dawkin.
But today, in the 21st century, a meme is referred to as the internet memes. Merriam -
Webster dictionary (2018) defines a meme as "an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person
to person within a culture" or “an amusing or interesting picture, video, etc., that is spread widely
through the internet.”
Another information on how internet memes spread is:
An IM [internet meme] depends both on a carrier and a social context where the transporter
acts as a filter and decides what can be passed on. It spreads horizontally as a virus at a fast
and accelerating speed. It can be interactive (as a game), and some people relate them with
creativity. Its mobility, storage, and reach are web-based (Hard disks, cell phones, servers,
cloud, etc.). They can be manufactured (as in the case of viral marketing) or emerge (as an
offline event taken online). Its goal is to be known well enough to replicate within a group
(Diaz, 2013).
Khan (2018) created an online article tackling the different types of memes. He classified
memes into fifteen categories: the classics, the trenders, the one-hit wonder, the social media, the
series, the niche, the obscurity, the slapstick humor, the comics, the nonsensical, the fanbase, the
locality, the wholesome, the puntastic, and the education meme. He also gave concrete examples
of each type of memes.
Figure 3. Classics Meme entitled Why U Do Dis?!

The Classics refer to the memes back when they were practically a mascot and not jokes
you attached to pictures, these are the type of memes that will never die and will forever live on.
An example of the Classics is the “Why you do dis!?” meme shown above. The Trenders are the
ones who go on for about a month, burn out fast and unlikely to ever be seen again; when the
Trender gets so tired of itself that it will do whatever it takes to make itself funny, it falls under
The Slapstick humor category of memes. Just like The Trenders, The One-Hit Wonder only
happens once that they are beautiful, and you'll probably never see them again.
Figure 4. Social Media Meme in Tumblr Figure 5. Comics Meme about Cyanide & Happiness
Social Media memes (example: Figure 4) are memes that come from a specific social media
site and is posted in another. The Series memes tend to be either made or compiled into a collection.
The Niche memes are the so-called "under-the-table memes" because they are somehow only
available to a very specific audience. Unlike the Niche, The Obscurity memes are completely
obscure and make absolutely no sense. The Comics are Organically made, always fresh, you can't
help but love these memes. An example is the ever-legendary Cyanide & Happiness (Figure 5).
The next one is unlike the slapstick humor, The Nonsensical usually comes in a form where the
meme starts off perfectly normally before warping into something that's so out of place that you
burst out laughing before you even wholly realize what you read and sometimes it won't really
make any sense at all.

Figure 6. Fanbase Meme about Game of Thrones
Figure 7. Education Meme about Operant Conditioning
The Fanbase memes (Figure 6) and The Locality memes are exclusive to a group of people
only and are not easily understood by everyone. The Wholesome memes, on the other hand, are
the dogs and cats’ memes. The Puntastic memes are memes that use puns or double meaning. And
lastly, The Education memes are memes tackling educational topics and are said to relieve students
from stress. The meme from the Facebook page of Your Millenial Psychologist is an example of
an Education meme. Overall, the types of memes are as follows: the classics, the trenders, the one-
hit wonder, the social media, the series, the niche, the obscurity, the slapstick humor, the comics,
the nonsensical, the fanbase, the locality, the wholesome, the puntastic, and the education meme.
Meme Culture
Durham and Weingart (1997) suggested three properties that must be present to be a
genuine unit of culture. The first property is that the unit “must have conceptual or ideational
reality.” The behavior and artifacts of a population must be influenced by this unit. Second, the
culture contains socially transmitted knowledge because “a bonafide unit of culture must have a
history of social transmission.” Lastly, “a unit of culture must be an embedded component part of
a greater conceptual system, the ‘culture’ from which it comes.”
The meme culture is widespread and various definitions of the meme culture emerge.
Internet memes are concepts or contents that go viral among Internet users (Bauckhage, 2011) or
the convergence of the clusters of tweets, combined according to content- and network-based
feature. (Ferrara et al., 2013) Meanwhile, Dennett (1991) refers a meme as the "smallest units that
replicate themselves with reliability and fecundity." These memes may also be used in advertising
and public relations; (Bauckhage, 2011) and the use of memes had a significant effect on increasing
social stereotypes. (Dobson & Knezevi, 2017)
In Blackmore’s The Meme Machine (1999), three main problems about the meme culture
are explained. First, the author said that memes do not have a specific construct, size, and nature.
Another problem is that the sharing and storing of memes are vague and unknown. Blackmore also
described how meme representations have a specific physical (neuronal) representation of the
brain, so, the traditional mind-body problem must also be addressed when studying the
information-processing of memes in the brain. Correspondingly, Stryker (2011) described memes
as an elicitor of emotions and opinions. Internet memes are used as an effective communication
tool for emotions and opinions, since, it conveys messages that may be presented in an amusing
manner.
Social Media and Memes
According to Investopia (2018), social media as "a computer-based technology that
facilitates the sharing of ideas and information and the building of virtual networks and
communities." The main difference between social media and social networking lies in their
communication style and goals. Social media involves one-way communication wherein a person
does all the talking, while, social networking involves a two-way communication among
individuals on the internet. The goal of social media is to send information to your audience, while,
social networking involves talking and listening with the people one interacts with (Schauer,
2015).
For this study, the main social networking and social media to be used is Facebook. The
mission of Facebook is "to give people the power to share and make the world more open and
connected. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what's
going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them" (Facebook "About" n. pag.).
Boyd (2007) distinguished four infrastructural characteristics of Facebook and other SNSs that
makes efficient memetic communication possible: replicability, searchability, persistence, and
invisible audiences.
Replicability. Digital objects are infinitely and perfectly reproducible. Easily used and free
social media provide multiple and exponential channels for distribution, breaking the
economic, cultural, and generation barriers to distribution of pre-Internet cultural
industries. For most objects, no matter the creator or licensing regime, its form is replicable
and thus exploitable.

Searchability: Objects of popular and folk culture are easily found via search
engines; especially as meta-data tags improve the indexing and curation of digital objects.
As such both raw materials and templates for generating objects are easily found.
Persistence: Although digital objects may not last as long as analog objects, they
are infinitely transferable and storable, and they certainly persist far longer than the
ephemeralities of co-present interaction.
Invisible Audiences: Digital objects are double articulations, created (by either
cultural industries or individuals) for a particular audience but with the knowledge that they
can and will spread to an unknowable audience wherever the Internet is available (Boyd,
2007).
The Internet is a complex convergence of the television, printing press, and the computer
that expands the uses of TV media, books, and an electronic device (Vacker, 2012). The paper
presented by Taecharungroj and Nueangjamnong (2014) studied the relationship between humor
and virality of Internet memes in English and Thai pages. The research found that memes with
"self-defeating" style of humor are viral in English Facebook pages, whereas, "self-enhancing"
humorous memes are favored in Thai Facebook pages. Meanwhile, the article of Varis and
Blommaert (2014) narrated how the "liking" and "sharing" of the Internet memes in Facebook
contribute to its virality. In addition, the act of "sharing" a post in Facebook may undergo re-
entextualization, wherein, a piece of information is extracted from its original post then re-posted
on a different context.
Politics and Memes
The conference proceedings of Lim et al. (2016) described that political memes did not
have a direct influence on the political views of Filipino millennials. The political memes during
the 2016 Election usually consist of Jejomar Binay memes and the election showed that Jejomar
Binay was the fourth place in the presidential candidacy. The proceedings concluded that political
memes were only used as entertainment of the millennials, and not an influencer of the voter's
political views. Meanwhile, Antal (2018) concluded that political memes have an impact on the
political views of American voters, and Huntington (2017) concluded that political memes give
more aversive feedback to its viewers than with non-political memes. Antal (2018) also stated that
memes are effective communicators of information, even though, then the rules of grammar and
syntax are violated. Americans use the Internet as the main medium to gather knowledge about
politics. Although the proceeding of Lim et al. (2016) is limited to the political views of six
participants and the study of Antal (2016) is done in America, these studies can aid the current
research to further understand the use of internet memes as a means of expressing political views.
Filipinos and Memes
Lim et al. (2016) stated that memes in the Philippines started when the Department of
Tourism introduced the term "It's more fun in the Philippines" in 2012. It became viral worldwide
in social media, which lead to a 12% increase of foreign visitors the next year. Filipinos are very
creative in many ways and wide thinkers, and internet memes have become one of the new
sensations for Filipinos.
On another hand, a study on the Humor in Mindanaoan Memes was conducted by Crisol
and Oledan (2016) to understand how humor varies across cultures. Mindanao is a culturally
diverse island in the Philippines and memes are being appropriated into the Mindanao cultural
context. Humor is given a local flavor by the local language, pop culture, and educational and
social backgrounds. It is associated with memory formation and it is considered as an important
aspect of social behavior. In relation, memes are the most popular forms of humor on the internet
today; therefore, making them the best choice in understanding Filipino humor.
Internet memes became a trend in the everyday life of Filipinos. Memes are used as
platforms to advocate socio-political issues. The Sassy Socialist Memes, Political Memes, and
Crippling Things are Facebook pages with over a million followers that promote awareness of
Philippine issues (De Leon, 2017). Instead of using the traditional campaign system, politicians
use memes in the Election campaign 2016 because memes reach a better audience. Memes are
easily shared, has a direct distribution of news, and appeal more to the masses (Osario, 2016). In
support the study of Sagun (2013) showed that their school library's posting of announcements
through Facebook memes exponentially increased the number of viewers of their page and posts.
A heightened number of online audiences was observed on the dissemination of meme
announcements.
Filipino Young Adults and Memes
In the Psychosocial Stages of Development by Erikson (1963), young adults seek to make
commitments to others during the stage of Intimacy vs. Isolation. It is a critical stage for young
adults because not being able to do so may lead to isolation. Crisol and Oledan (2016) conducted
research on which memes and showed that the element of humor with the highest frequency count
is a relationship with 23.17%. This was explained through the ranking of Filipinos as the 10th most
romantic of all Asia-Pacific countries. The study was also conducted to Filipinos with age ranging
from 18-24 years old.

Another study showed that internet memes are highly popular among college students in
the Philippines, mostly on the young adult age range (Sagun, 2013). Given this, memes are being
used for marketing strategies and advertising because they increase the figures of the targeted
audience and the audience themselves contribute to the information dissemination process.
Young adults
Erikson's (1963) theory of psychosocial development has eight stages. Like Freud and
many others, Erikson maintained that personality develops in a predetermined order, and builds
upon each previous stage, and he called this the epigenetic principle. During each stage, the person
experiences a psychosocial crisis which could have a positive or negative outcome for personality
development. For Erikson (1963), these crises are of a psychosocial nature because they involve
the psychological needs of the individual conflicting with the needs of society. Young adulthood
is in the sixth stage of Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. He called this stage the
intimacy versus isolation stage, which takes place between the ages of 18-40 years. According to
Erikson's Youth: Change and challenge (1963), this period is one of the most crucial stages of
development because the major conflict centers on the forming of intimate relationships with other
people. Individuals who successfully overcome this stage result in being in happy relationships
and having a sense of commitment, safety, and care within a relationship. On the other hand, failure
to overcome this stage may result in avoidance of intimacy, fearing commitment, isolation,
loneliness, and can sometimes even lead to depression.

Concept Map
Figure 8. Concept Map
Concept map A is an overview of the current study. It starts with the emergence of political
memes in social media. Then, a snowball sampling method and purposive sampling method were
done by searching for viral Philippine political memes and messaging the creator of that political
meme to gather potential participants. Furthermore, this research also focused on how political
memes affect Filipino young adult meme enthusiasts through its influencers, impacts, positive
effects, and negative effects. These factors were furthered analyzed by understanding the Filipino
young adult meme enthusiasts’ political expression, stand, and views. Lastly, the integration of all
elements stated were discussed and explored to form a bigger picture about the use of internet
memes as a means of expressing political views.

Chapter III. Methodology
Research Design
The research design for this study is descriptive-exploratory research. This descriptive-
exploratory study aims to know the factors that influences political meme use, to explore the
impacts of political memes to meme enthusiasts’ current stand, and to the understand the positive
and negative effects of political memes in expressing their political views.
Descriptive and exploratory research approaches are two research methods that are usually
interchanged with one another, yet, these two approaches can be used in a single study. Researches
can start using an exploratory approach to gather as much information needed in the study and
then use a descriptive approach to have a structured research method (Pratap, 2018). Furthermore,
descriptive-exploratory research is used for studies with little to no information (Cormack, 1996)
and for research that does not has control over its variables (Brink & Wood, 1998).
According to Surbhi (2016), descriptive research is used to study individuals, groups, or
situations, while, an exploratory approach is an unstructured research process that is used to
discover new ideas and thoughts. Exploratory research can be used as a feasibility study for a
planned long-term study. This approach assumes that the topic is not yet studied, and the sample
has knowledge of the specific topic studied (Brink & Wood, 1998). An exploratory approach is
done by conducting literature reviews, personal interviews, focus groups, case analysis, or
projective techniques. The information gathered in exploratory research can be consolidated and
evolved into a descriptive approach to make a further study a structured end-research (Pratap,
2018).
Participants
The fourteen purposively sampled participants first underwent a preliminary Google-form
survey. The basic demographic information of the participants such as the name, age, address,
gender, occupation, and contact details was collected. Aside from the participants' demographic
information, the 14 participants were also asked about the political groups or pages they engage
in. Furthermore, basic questions about their political discourse and their relationship with Internet
memes were asked in the survey. Lastly, the participants were also asked if they are willing to
participate in an interview for further study.
After gathering the answers of the participants through the online survey, the participants
were assessed. The screening process happened by checking the survey responses of the
participants, and by extracting qualified interview participants. The chosen participants must
answer all questions in the survey, must volunteer to engage in the further interview, and must be
a young adult political meme enthusiast. Furthermore, the interview participants were young adult
political meme enthusiast aged 18-37 years old. Finally, since the main topic is about political
memes, all interviewees preferably create their own political memes, and react and share other
political memes.
Data Collection Method
Instruments.
Online survey. An online survey using Google forms (Appendix B) was used to
gain a preliminary overview of political memes and the Filipinos. The online survey was
then disseminated through the researchers' social media accounts. Consequently, the
researchers individually messaged the political meme pages and political meme creators.
The positive response of qualified participants is a step of engaging participants in the
study.
Semi-structured interview. A semi-structured interview was conducted among the
participants. This method is used to know about the general concepts of the study while
allowing the participants to share their experiences and stories about political memes. The
interview questions (see Appendix C) were based on the objectives formulated by the
researchers.
Procedure.
First, the researchers joined active Filipino political meme groups and liked active
Filipino political meme pages on Facebook. This procedure was done to observe behaviors
and activities done by members of the said groups and pages. After spending a enough time
observing, the researchers disseminated an online survey through the use of Google forms
on Facebook and Twitter. The researchers also messaged every meme creator that they saw
online. Initial participants were asked to answer the online survey for preliminary
screening. Being a meme creator and being is a young adult were the two main screening
criteria for this study. The selection procedure was done by an elimination method in the
preliminary survey. The researchers also asked permission from the administrators of the
said group and pages to be able to post the survey in the group or page they are handling.
However, the survey is not limited to Filipino meme group and pages, but it is available to
anyone who is willing to participate and who fits the criteria of being a political meme
enthusiast.
For the semi-structured interviews, the participant and researcher communicated
and decided the medium, date, and location of the interview. The researchers only agreed
to do either a phone interview or a personal interview. During the interview proper, briefing
and asking of consent were conducted before and after the semi-structured interview with
the participant. The researcher also explained the purpose and significance of the study and
entertain any questions the participants may have. Informed consent forms (see Appendix
A) were given to the participants to signify their intent to participate. Consent for the data
recording of the semi-structured interview was also be asked, and the anonymity and
confidentiality of the information of the participant are assured. The semi-structured
personal interview took about thirty (30) minutes to one hour, and it was conducted
individually on coffee shops or depending on the participant's desired location of the
interview. Meanwhile, the phone interviews only lasted for twenty to thirty minutes. After
the interviews, the participant was thanked for accommodating the researchers and the
tokens of appreciation were given.
Data Analysis
The data gathered in the interviews were analyzed through the use of thematic content
analysis. The responses of the participants were then transcribed and were categorized. The
important statements were made into themes about Philippine political memes. The created themes
and responses are reread to check the other themes overlooked in the pre-screening. After the
researchers proofread the themes formed, the frequency counts of these themes were tallied to note
the political meme concepts and ideas seen. Furthermore, these themes were arranged and used to
draw interpretations and conclusions about political memes and Filipino young adult meme
enthusiasts.
Ethical Considerations
Anonymity and confidentiality. This study about Philippine Political Memes is
considered today as a sensitive current topic since the Philippine political climate during this 2019
midterm elections is hot and controversial. The political opinions of the participants are written in
this study. Thus, the responses of the participants may or may not reflect their political beliefs in
political memes. Furthermore, the participants' opposition or agreement to certain politicians and
political issues may possess a possible threat to their identity.
To secure this ethical consideration, the true names, contact details, and other personal
information of the participants were used to contact the participant, yet, this information is not be
reflected in this research paper. Pseudonyms are reflected in this study unless the participant
requested to indicate their true names. All other personal information of the participants not
necessary in the discussion will remain confidential.
In addition, some of the participants seemed to be skeptical of the researchers’ true intent
despite enough briefing. Some participants do not want to show their faces and to engage in
personal interviews. So, the researchers allowed the participants to engage in chat or phone
interviews. This ethical consideration was done to minimize the agitation of the meme enthusiasts,
and to increase the confidentiality of the participants' identity.
Briefing and debriefing. Before the interview, the participants were briefed about the
purpose of the study. The briefing helped the participant to know how to respond and choose their
answers accordingly.
After each interview, the debriefing also followed. Clarifications and questions of the
participants were answered by the researchers during the debriefing. The suggestions and the
comments of the participants are also addressed in this section. For further concerns, the
participants may contact the researchers through the contact details given in the informed consent
sheet or through a Facebook chat conversation.
Informed consent sheet. On the interview day, two printed informed consent sheets2 (one
copy for the participant and one copy for the researchers) were given to the participants of the
interview during the briefing. While the participant is reading the sheet silently, the researcher read
aloud and explain the contents of the informed consent sheet. The questions or concerns of the
participants about the informed consent sheet were addressed. Then, the participant must affix
his/her name, signature, and contact number on the informed consent sheets. The interview proper
then followed and debriefing about the study also happened.
Overall, the ethical considerations for this study are focused on the participants’ anonymity
and confidentiality, briefing and debriefing process, the informed consent sheet, and the validation
of the results of the study.
2
See Appendix A. Informed Consent Sheet
Chapter IV. Results
Descriptive Statistics
Before discussing the results of the study, the demographic profile of the participants are
presented as the study’s descriptive statistics. The demographic profiles of the participants are
essential in the study to give us an overview on the factors that may affect their way of answering
the research questions. The participants were given pseudonyms to protect their identity. All the
participants except Calla are males, and all participants are Filipino political meme creators. The
other demographic information such as the occupation, age, and address of the meme enthusiasts
are described in the following tables. The number of times the participant has voted during the
National and Local elections is also listed in Table 4.
Table 1
Demographic Information of the Participants’ Occupation
Participant Name Occupation
Angelo Student
August University faculty member
Calla Art director
Ernest Student
Jomar Self-employed
Magister Musicae Teacher
Mark Warehouse coordinator and shipper, part-time political cartoon artist
Mike Consultant
Nikholai Journalist/writer
Patrick Student
Romer BPO company employee
Siopao Student
Vince Art director
Xbyer Student
The participants come from a large pool of occupations: a self-employed, a consultant, a
journalist/writer, and a BPO company employee. Two participants, Calla and Vince, are art
directors (13.33%), five are students (35.71%), and two are teachers (13.33%). Also, note that
some of the participants such as Mark are part-time artists or cartoonists in which they apply their
skills to create Philippine political memes.
Table 2
Demographic Information of the Participants’ Age
Participant Name Age
Ernest 18
Siopao 19
Angelo 20
Patrick 21
Vince 21
Xbyer 23
Nikholai 27
Romer 27
Calla 28
Mike 28
August 32
Magister Musicae 34
Mark 35
Jomar 37
The participants of this study are fourteen meme creators ages 18 to 37 years old. Jomar,
37, is the eldest participant while Ernest, 18, is the youngest. Half of the participants are ages 21-
30 years old. The other seven participants are eighteen to twenty years old (21.42%) and thirty-
one to thirty-seven years old (28.57%).

Table 3
Demographic Information of the Participants’ Address
Participant Name Address
Mark Alberta, Canada

Angelo Bulacan
August Cavite
Romer Cavite
Patrick Imus, Cavite
Ernest Los Baños, Laguna
Calla Pasay City
Jomar Caloocan City
Magister Musicae Metro Manila
Mike Quezon City
Siopao Taguig City
Vince San Juan, Manila
Xbyer Pandacan, Manila
Nikholai n/a*
*no data available
For the address of the political meme participants, the meme enthusiasts are located in
Bulacan (7.14%), Cavite (21.43%), Laguna (7.14%), and Metro Manila (50.0%). One
participant, Mark, is a Filipino citizen currently working in Canada.
Table 4
Demographic Information of the Participants’ Election Voting
Theme Frequency
Never 5
Once 4
Thrice or more 5
*Both National and Local Elections
Never. Five of the participants (see Table 4) have never voted during a local or national
election because of various reasons. One participant, Jomar, said, “Hindi ako naniniwala sa
eleksyon eh. Hindi ako naniniwalang kailangan mo ng ‘master’ every 6 years. Ah hindi ako
[bumoboto] pero nangangampanya ako ah kung sino yung dapat iboto...” Two other participants
who do not vote during elections reasoned that it is just their personal choice to not vote, and the
remaining participants who do not vote during elections are not registered voters.
Once. On the other hand, four participants have voted once on either a local or national
election. Vince, a participant who has only voted once, said, “Oo, registered voter ako pero
partylist lang ang binoboto ko.” Only one participant has voted three times and these were all
during the national elections.
Four or more times. There are three participants who have voted four times during an
election. One of them, Mike, said, “Yes. I have consistently voted since 2009. So yung 2010
elections I voted, 2013, 2016, uhm and i think may barangay elections din between those. I think
it was 2017 or 2018.” The other two individuals stated that they have consistently voted since
2010. Lastly, only one participant has voted for more than 5 times. August, one participant who
has been voting since 2005, said “Yes. I am not sure but I voted on all national and local elections
since I turned eligible to vote.”
Thematic Content Analysis
After engaging in thorough interviews with the participants, the researchers consolidated
all responses, and used a thematic content analysis to form meaning with the narratives. This
section also shows the bigger picture within each Philippine political meme objective.
Table 5
Factors that Influence the Use of Political Memes
Theme Frequency
Purpose 4
Humor 3
Simplicity 2
Visual impact 2
Target audience 2
Table 5 shows the factors that influence the use of political memes. Participants perceive
the purpose, humor, simplicity, visual impact, and the target audience as factors that influence the
use of political memes.
Purpose. Most of the participants reported that purpose is an important factor in
considering the influence a political meme can bring to an individual. Purpose is the intention,
objective, or message that a meme is trying to convey. Mike, 28, explained that his posts are
purposive and according to him, “I try to produce certain media that would resonate with more
people- not to necessarily convert them but to help preserve the current base of people that I think
are aligned with what I think is right.” In addition, Ernest, 18, student, stated that “Personally,
ngayon yung usage ko ng political memes, ginagawa ko yun kasi it helps the country and it helps
the country kapag inaangat mo yung antas ng kamulatan nila. That’s what political memes can do
kasi.” And Jomar, 37, explained“Ang nakakaimpluwensya sa akin, yung una.... Yung pagmamahal
sa bayan. Wala nang iba eh. Kahit ikaw, kung ikaw ay dadaan ka rin sa ganyan at nakikita mo
na… mahal mo ang bayan at nakikita mo na may dapat baguhin, mapipilitan kang magsalita o
tumayo kahit ayaw mo eh.”
Humor. Humor was also mentioned a few times by the participants when they were asked
to give factors that affect the use of political memes. It is the ability to give entertainment through
comedy. “It makes things more bearable, especially kapag may humor…”, according to Mike, 28.
And to add to that, Patrick, 21, said “...ang key naman para sumikat o magtrend o yung standard
ng meme ay yung nakakatawa. It doesn’t matter kung fake news o may source, basta nakakatawa,
kakalat yan.”
Simplicity. Simplicity refers to the meme being easy to make and understand. Patrick, 21,
explained how political memes are easy to make, “Hindi mo kailangan ng malaking political funds
para sa mga posters, mga leaflets o kahit anong campaign materials mo. Internet lang, gagawa
ka lang ng post, then yun na.” Another participant, Calla, 28, an art director, also included
simplicity in her list of influences.
Visual impact. Two of the participants thinks that the ability of the political meme to be
noticeable and impactful to its viewers is an important factor. Nikholai, 27, a journalist, narrated,
“You can express so many things na picture o may picture pa yan na may caption. Pero ayun nga,
a picture says a thousand words. Paminsan nga kahit wala siyang caption basta alam mo lang
kung papano siya dinrawing, kung papano siya pinpresent, marami na siya minsang ibig sabihin.”
In addition, Ernest, 18, also stated “Helpful din siya kasi… I share them kasi madali yung
information, new concepts, and lastly, nakakaagitate siya ng mga reader at viewer. Perhaps, it
helps accumulate agitation and it could be a factor to the viewers to know the line.”
Target audience. The target audience is also a factor that one needs to consider in making
a political meme. Romer said that, “...gusto ko malaman kung anong mafi-feel nung tao if ever na
magbibigay ako ng sarili kong view. Yeah I find it effective kasi madaming mga positive and
negative comments, maraming bashers. So either memes or shitposting or may patama sa isang
politiko.” He also cleared from the start that he had a neutral political stand.
The timeliness, availability, and convenience are also some of the factors given by the
participants. They believe that memes are now easily available and accessible of social media sites,
which are also free. Patriotism, according to Ernest, an 18-year-old student, is also an important
factor to consider. He reasoned, “Ginagawa ko yun [political memes] kasi it helps the country,
and it helps the country kapag inaangat mo yung antas ng kamulatan nila…”
Lastly, expression of self and creativity were considered as factors by our participants who
happened to be cartoonists and artists. Angelo, on the other hand, explained:
I find it effective in expressing creativity kase well creativity andun siya pwede mo siyang
maexpress or not the lack thereof creativity pwede mo rin siyang i-express sa meme. I think
nakikita ko lang yung meme as an expression of myself although it’s a fragile symbol na
pwede mong gamitin para identify yung sarili mo pero there are people who thinks na
pwede nilang gamiting yung memes or at least pagkagets nung mga memes.
These broad range of themes are the participant’s perceived factors that influence the use
of political memes.
Table 6
Impact of Political Memes to Existing Political Stand
Theme Frequency
Form of entertainment 2
Easier digestion of information 2
Reaffirmation to existing political beliefs 4
Generation of new ideas 7
No impact 3
Five themes emerged out of the fourteen participants. The impact of political memes to
existing political stand are as follows: memes serve as a form of entertainment, it involves the
easier digestion of information, reaffirmation to existing political beliefs, and the generation of
new ideas.
Form of entertainment. First, memes are used as a form of entertainment for the masses.
Funny memes swiftly catch the attention of the people. Two meme enthusiasts said that political
memes gives delight to its viewers. Jomar says that memes relieve him from the distress of the
society. Moreso, Mike said that “naintegrate yung pattern ng memes sa politics kasi nga it’s very
scandalous and controversial yung current administration, people engagement in general will
always skip high in this boring administration.”
Easier digestion of information. Aside from its entertaining aspect, political memes are
also easy to digest, so, the proliferation of Philippine political concepts and ideas can propagandize
without difficulties. Ernest says that the propaganda of political memes will lead to the agitation
of the common people. Meanwhile, Mike narrated that,
“...a lot of the content is generated by the users. So, there’s a lot of noise, there’s a lot of
things going on, and people started to have less and less time to focus on the usual formats
like article or full blown video. Lahat shortened versions, summaries, or yung mga 2-
minute version of a video. And I think dun na born yung political meme.”
Reaffirmation to existing political beliefs. Another impact of political memes is to
confirm one’s existing beliefs. Patrick believes that a political meme can have an impact on a
person’s political stand, but it will not make a great shift of paradigms. “Pero not that much na as
in yung mga bago na from neutral magiging dilawan ako or what,” Patrick says. Meanwhile,
Magister Musicae’s relatively unshaken political stand can be affected by a well-made meme.
Generation of new ideas. The most common impact of memes is to generate new ideas.
Siopao narrated, “basta nakakatawa, kakagat naman. Basta patok yung ganun, paniniwalaan
natin, even how stupid, paniniwalaan natin.” On the bright side, August and Jomar use conflicting
issues as reasons to make more comic strips and cartoons which can be posted to increase
engagements with likers and bashers. Vince thinks that political memes like the
#ManilaEncounters are meant to propagate ideas to others, or to divide the ideologies of its
audience (e.g. Iglesia ni Cristo as a Disney opening meme). Vince and Ernest also narrated how
political memes - like the meme of an American soldier with dripping oil and the meme about
Comprehensive Agreement on Socioeconomic Reforms - can impose additional information to its
audience. Lastly, Calla exclaiming said that “I might not have been aware of indigenous people
displacements in places like New Clark City if not for memes!”
No impact. Lastly, some participants think that their beliefs are firm and they cannot be
easily influenced by political memes. Angelo shared that he is not affected my memes, but, Twitter
posts have great impacts on his existing political stand. Based on the other people’s feedback,
Angelo also added that people are just using memes to be defensive of the pressing issue.
Table 7
The Positive Effects of Political Memes
Theme Frequency
Attracts people with similar beliefs 4

Easier to spread information 2
Easier to digest knowledge 4
Sparks awareness and political engagement 7
Provides entertainment 5
Five themes manifested out of the participants' discussions: political memes attract people
with similar beliefs, memes are easier to spread information, it is easier to digest knowledge, it
sparks awareness and political engagement, it provides entertainment, and it gives affirmation to
the self. These themes are the positive effects of political memes to meme enthusiasts.
Attracts people with similar beliefs. The first positive effect is that it attracts people with
similar beliefs. As August said, “both creators and users could express their political views
through memes. It could also attract like-minded people into their network.” Angelo discussed
how heartwarming it is, as a meme creator, to gain many likes and shares in his political meme.
He is happy to feel that “hala. This thing that I created [is] related to a lot of people” and his post
became a part of their day. Correspondingly, Angelo described Filipinos as happy people that is
why Filipinos engage in memes. He also adds,
“Kaya may mga meme pages at meme groups na gusto nilang iidentify yung sarili nila don
at the same time as Filipinos. I think meron tayong subculture don as Filipinos na tayo
lang makakagets. Tapos you feel special kasi “hala nagets ko ‘to, Filipino ako.” Proud to
be Pinoy.”
Easier to spread information. According to Siopao, another positive effect of political
memes is its virality to the people. He stated, “yung positive effects ng political memes ay yung
maraming taong makakakita nun. Kasi madali siyang i-release, madaling siyang kumalat.” In
addition, Nikholai said, “Parang nabibigyan niya [political memes] ng more incentive yung mga
tao para makialam. Ayun. Yung social media naman kasi ay interactive yan eh so magcocomment
kayo sa isa’t isa eh.” Vince told that rally is taboo for other people, so, creating and posting
memes is their way of expressing being “woke” to the political issues in the Philippines.
Easier to digest knowledge. Political memes has an impact of easy digestion of
knowledge. This impact happen when the viewer of the meme can abruptly grasp the information
pictured in the meme. As Xyber, 23, said, political memes are easier to express and direct to the
point. Mark stated “Maiksi, madali siyang maintindihan, cartoons siya hindi siya talagang hard
art na masyadong seryoso.” Mike told us that political memes can be used as a tool to extract the
juiciest bits of information even without substance.
Sparks awareness and political engagement. Another positive effect of political memes
is to raise awareness among people. As Jomar, a 37-year-old self-employed, said, “Ang positibong
epekto, ayun nakikilahok sila sa politics.” Vince stated that people become “woke” when they are
exposed to various political memes. “Kumbaga ‘gusto kong lumaban!’ pero taboo pa rin sa kanila
yung rally eh. Yung pagshishare ng memes, nakita ko siya na kalaunan para ano eh, iexpress yung
resistance mo sa system.” Correspondingly, Patrick shared his recent experience of political
engagement:
“Yung current issue ngayon, yung sa La Mesa Dam, yung pagkawala ng [tubig sa] La
Mesa Dam. Pagka may memes dyan, aside from entertainment, they use as basic
information ba. Parang main idea ng information na nangyayari. So dun, ano, parang
'’Ah, eto pala yung nangyayari.’ Then of course, I check mo yung picture tapos from that
nandun na yung influence mo, starting from that meme.”
Meanwhile, Ernest says that political memes agitate the people’s consciousness and molds
them to participate in the community activities for the globalization of the Philippines. As
Nikholai, a 27-year-old journalist, said, “kung very dramatic o very funny o very emotional leading
din yung isang content. Napupwersa yung mga taong dati walang pakialam para magbigay ng
option nila.” Overall, political memes spark engagement and conversation among its audience.
Provides entertainment. Political memes are also effective for entertainment purposes.
Patrick said that reading new articles can lead to boredom and information overload, but, when
this news is put into memes, it provides entertainment and humor to its audience. Romer shared
his experience as a political meme page administrator: “We’re just doing it for fun eh. We will gain
followers. We will gain bashers, hanggang mareport yung page namin. So pag nareport yung page
namin at naging effective siya sa mga bashers kasi nahuhurt namin sila.”Lastly, Angelo thinks
that a political meme can contribute to the identity building process of a person and it will make
you say, “hala naka-relate ako dito, I am this person.”

Overall, the positive effects of political memes can be summarized by Magister Musicae’s
one-liner: “They [political memes] are easily understood and bring amusement to people in
addition to informing them.”
Table 8
The Negative Effects of Political Memes
Theme Frequency
Possible emotional distress 4

Possible miseducation to its viewers 6
Conveys incomplete information 3
Lessens actual action 2
In Table 12, four negative impacts of political memes were created. Political memes may
elicit possible emotional distress, possible miseducation to its viewers, conveys incomplete
information, and lessens actual action.
Possible emotional distress. Another negative impact of political memes is its negative
emotional impact. Possible emotional distress can happen to the attacked politician or their
supporters. People usually fight in the comments section to express their freedom of speech. Mark
narrated disappointedly how some people make political memes that do not have substantial
content. He also said that other political memes were created to hurt or shame other individuals by
putting hurting words in the meme and the lack of delicadeza in saying their opinions. Likewise,
when August was interviewed, he stated, “attracting trolls would be one, and when mismanaged,
engagement with them could lead to some of [the] emotional stress.”
Meanwhile, Nikholai dictated, “Kapag mali yung information ng meme tapos biglang
kumalat, kahit na idi siya totoo, kahit di totoo parang nakaapekto na rin siya sa reputation ng tao,
yun. Pwedeng maging laughing stock ka kahit di naman.” He also adds that, “Ang problema ay
paminsan ginagamit yung pag-o-offend o ginagamit yung uhm ganung klaseng speech against the
common people pa minsan. So parang problema yun. So minsan, you end up empowering the ano
eh, you end up being oppress or the weaker.”
Also Jomar, 37, said, “ ...paparatangan ka rin nila. ‘Oy! Dilawan to! Traydor!’ Ganyan
ba. Pero ganun ang epekto niya kapag lumabas ka ng groupthink. Kapag lumabas ka sa group,
sisirain ka ng group.” Jomar adds that groupthink may occur in political memes, and “if you break
from the group, the group will break you.” For example, if you are part of the DDS, then suddenly
you are against Duterte. The group of DDS will treat you as a traitor, and they will go against you.
When Romer, a “shitposting-anti-communist political page” administrator, was asked about the
negative effects of political memes, he mocked “either mabutthurt sila or unfollow our page. Less
followers pero it doesn’t matter we don’t care. Hindi naman sila lang nakafollow sa amin eh,
marami pa.”
Possible miseducation to its viewers. Six participants said that political memes can give
possible miseducation to political meme viewers. Angelo recalled how his friend narrated the
spread of a Gadon meme, and they both panicked because they think that uneducated people will
misinterpret the meme. Since not all social media users are educated, they think that a certain
political meme can be interpreted as it is if a lack of research happened. “Madami nabubulag.
Madaming nadadala sa maling impormasyong nakalagay at nagsisimula ng gulo,” Xyber said.
Furthermore, Vince describes “Kapag mali yung content, kapag mali yung propaganda
mo, may mga nauuto pa rin … kahit ano lang yung nakakagagong title lang ng article, di naman
nila babasahin yun eh. Isha-share lang nila eh. Kapag shinare nila yun, wala na,” and Patrick, a
21-year-old student, shares the same sentiments,

“Nawawala yung legibility ba yung tawag dun? Kasi maglagay ka lang ng meme tas nakita
ng tao, isha-share na yun. Shinishare agad nila then they will comment on the context
without checking kung totoo ba yung meme na iyon. Like the fake news memes, usually
galing sa DDS fanpages. I am not against Duterte pero yung fambased niya kasi, I dunno
kung anong problema nila.”
The legibility of the issue diminishes because of the lack of fact-checking. “Undeniably,
meron kasing mga political memes from some time from untrusted sources,” Ernest stated. Some
political meme pages share posts that have fabricated resource materials and this will resolve to
the misinformation of the people. As Siopao says, “Tingin na lang natin na basta sikat, tingin
natin tama na.” The supporters of corrupt politicians are examples of people affected by the fake
news.
Conveys incomplete information. Memes can give incomplete information to its viewers.
Simple memes convey simple messages. Six participants implied that political memes can also
feed the headline culture to make it an oversimplified post. Mark, 35, stated “minsan gumagawa
na lang ng political memes, para mapansin, ng wala naman talagang laman yung ginawa nila.”
Meanwhile, Calla blames the basic design of memes as a root cause of the human ignorance in the
current issues, and, Magister Musicae describes memes as “too simplistic and not really convey
the nuances of certain issues.” Mike narrated,
“Well that’s a downside nga na parang it feeds on the headline culture. Hindi masyadong
malalim parang palakasan nalang ng punchlines and talkpoints. Parang it over simplifies
certain things like yung si Mar [Roxas] incompetent dahil dun sa gif nagta-traffic enforcer
siya uhh itong issue about Duterte is ganyan kasi ganyan ganyan. Parang minsan it just
becomes a matter of yun nga, headlines and screaming arguments rather than
conversation.”
Similarly, Angelo recalled what his friend said to him, “pag ‘di educated yung tao
makakasama siya sa views; or like kunin niya lahat as it is at hindi talaga magets yung reference
ganon.”
Lessens actual action. The last and least negative impact of political memes is to foster
individuals on focusing on digital action rather than the actual action. Not all people who like,
share, and post political memes engage in actual political rallies. Some people tend to be an activist
online, but, not an activist on the streets. As Jomar says, we can easily see what the engagements
of people online, yet, we cannot really identify if they do actions to help the actual situation. Lastly,
Nikholai also narrated that, “maraming taong ganun na uhm express ng express ng opinion online
pero walang ginagawa at all or hindi nagpapaorganize o hindi sumasali sa kahit ano. Pero
sasabihin niya na ‘Eh aware naman na ako eh. May ibang tao namang kikilos para sa akin.’”
Aside from the themes given, other minor themes of the negative effects of political memes
manifested. Angelo said that the negative effects of creating and posting memes is that it is time-
consuming and sometimes toxic. The regulation of the comments section of the political memes is
a challenge faced by a lot of meme enthusiasts because arguments or debates may arise.
Ancillary Data
After discussing the results of the main objectives of study, the ancillary data will be
discussed in the following section. These ancillary data are important points of the study that are
support the findings about Philippine political memes and meme enthusiasts.
Table 9
Ways of Expressing Political Views on Facebook
Theme Frequency
Using political memes 7

Sharing news articles or posts 5
Sharing posts with commentaries 5
Using political cartoons or comics 3
Sharing personal experience through simple Facebook posts 3
All of the interview participants agreed that they use and consider Facebook as an
effective outlet for expressing political views. One participant, Calla, elaborated how she views
the effectivity of Facebook as an outlet for expressing political views by saying, “Effective for
releasing my own thoughts and emotions? Yes. Effective for finding like-minded people who feel
the same way? Yes. Effective for starting discourse…rarely. I’m realizing that at least on my
feed, engagement isn’t as widespread. Likes are not the same as engagements and leading the
discourse further.”
Like Calla’s statement, Nikholai also expressed that, “May certain level siya [Facebook]
ng effectivity... Pero parang double-edged sword siya. Di siya 100% na yun… Effective siya para
magpakalat yung ideas ganyan pero minsan yun nga yung problema… Effective siya but only to a
certain extent…” Table 10 shows the different ways of expressing political views on Facebook
cited by the participants.
Using political memes. The use of political memes refer to the consumption of memes
through liking, sharing, and making them. Angelo, 20, explained his use political memes by
saying, “Usually I share din yun others (memes) hindi lang ako gumagawa ng memes. I share
memes din sa facebook, sa twitter, ganyan...” Ernest, 18, also said the similar thing and cited an
effect it can give to the people who will see it, “Usually nagsha-share ako ng political memes and
sometimes nagsusulat ako ng explanatory must-reads na I think makakatulong sa pagpapamulat
sa mga friends ko at perhaps sa mga followers ko.” However, Jomar, 37, who also uses memes
explained that he considers the use of political memes to be effective by defending, “Diba sa pag-
aaral nga, ang attention span ng karaniwang American o Pinoy ay below… mga nasa 5 to 8
seconds. Pag lumagpas dyan, minsan nawawalan na sila ng gana.” Jomar was pointing out in his
statement that memes are capable of catching the attention of people.
Sharing news articles or posts. Other than the use of memes, five participants share news
articles. Sharing news articles can be identified as the action of posting or sharing articles from
credible news websites or Facebook pages. One participant, Calla, 28, stated that she shares news
articles and posts her own photos of the political rallies and events she attended. Mike, 28, a
consultant, also shared that, “I sometimes share materials mismo from the pages or channels ng
mga political figures that I support, personally.” Siopao, 19, on the other hand, explained how he
shares posts depending on how he feels towards them: “Pero karamihan, lahat ng mga shinashare
ko ay disagree ako. Kasi kung agree ako, ishashare ko lang yung actual. Pero kapag disagree ako,
ishashare ko tapos lalagyan ko lang ng caption ng opinyon ko para maisabi ko kung ano talaga
yung nais kong sabihin.” Siopao stated that if he agrees with the post, he will just share it but if he
do not agree then he will share it and add his opinion. This leads us to the next theme where five
of the participants shares post with commentaries.
Sharing posts with commentaries. Aside from using memes and news articles, meme
enthusiasts also share posts and then caption their insights into the shared post. As mentioned,
Siopao, 19-year-old student, explained, “Kapag may nakikita akong post ng iba, tapos nakikita ko
yung paano yung ano, shinishare ko iyon tapos lalagyan ko ng opinyons... Pero kapag disagree
ako, ishashare ko tapos lalagyan ko lang ng caption ng opinyon ko para maisabi ko kung ano
talaga yung nais kong sabihin.”
Patrick, 21, narrated how he express his political view by sharing news articles and putting
a personal caption into it, saying, “Pagshare ng news article tapos papatungan ko ng caption or
gagawa ako ng meme about dun then isashare ko rin.” Meanwhile, Mike, 28, a consultant who
handles multiple meme pages, said, “I give commentary sa mga articles that I think are important
for people to read, understand. Uhm ano pa ba? I sometimes share materials mismo from the
pages or channels ng mga political figures that I support, personally.”
Using political cartoons or comics. Political cartoons and comics are drawings containing
a commentary expressing the cartoonist’s opinion. Three of the participants use political cartoons
or comics to express their political views and most of them are editorial cartoonists. August, 32, a
university faculty member, said that, “[I express my views] through status posts and through
comics and cartoons that are published on a Facebook page that I manage with some friends.”
August and his friends currently manage a political comic Facebook page named “Agaw Trip
Komiks” with almost 10,000 followers. Another participant, Mark, 35, a part-time political
cartoonist, explained:
...Pag-create ng political cartoons. Minsan kapag may issue talaga na mainit o pinag-
uusapan, nagcocomment sa other [posts]… pero the way para sa akin, yung masasabi ko
ay through my cartoons. Hmm isa siyang, pwede mong masabi… One good avenue kasi
that’s how you can share it to the people pero the best way pa rin talaga kung may access
ka ay yung existing na media kung may contact ka pa sa print o sa tv. I think that [better]
lalo na sa Pilipinas marami pa rin talagang nanunuod ng news.

Mark, 35, also said that he was an activist in his college days back when social media was
not easily available for everyone, he shared, “Di talaga ako sanay sa political memes kasi yung
ginagamit ko talaga ay political cartoons o political editorials.”
Sharing personal experience through simple Facebook posts. Lastly, Calla also likes to
post their own photos where the have participated in anything political like rallies and events.
Meanwhile, Mark, 35, explained how more effective political cartoons could be once exposed to
different types of media, he suggested, “One good avenue [political cartoons] kasi that’s how you
can share it to the people pero the best way pa rin talaga kung may access ka ay yung existing na
media kung mas contact ka pa sa print o sa tv. I think that [better] lalo na sa Pilipinas marami pa
rin talagang nanunuod ng news.”
Table 10
Average use of Political Memes on Facebook
Theme Frequency
Daily 7
Weekly 4
Depending on the type of “use” 2
Given that all participants already create, share, and like political memes, table 4 shows
their average use of political memes. Use of political memes refer to the consumption of these
memes through liking, sharing, or making them.
Daily. Seven of the participants use political memes daily or at least once a day.
Weekly. On the other hand, four of them use it one to three times a week only, and one
participant, Vince, who manages “Memes na Medyo Woke” Facebook page, said that he posts
three times a month only.

Depending on the type of “use.” However, there are two participants who indirectly
answered the question because their use political memes was dependent on the type of usage. Mike,
a 28-year-old consultant, explained:
Uhm madalas kase when you say use parang it can be for a more personal level type of
use. Like seeing these memes and parang natawa ka or you had some sort of range na
nafeel is for me is considered as a use nung meme kase uhm na serve niya yung purpose
niya which is yun ngang make the people feel something.
On the other hand, Xbyer, 23, explained that his use of memes depends on the timeliness
of the issue or topic by saying, “It depends on the situation. Depende gano ka hot ang issue.”
Table 11
The Effectiveness of Political Memes as a Means of Expressing Political Views
Theme Frequency
Yes 11
No 1
Depending on the definition of “effective” 2
Table 12 shows the effectiveness of political memes as a means of expressing political
views. Most of the participants agree that political memes are effective in expressing their political
views and only one did not agree. However, two of the participants said that it depends on how
one will define the word “effective”.
Political memes are effective means to express political views. Most of the participants
agreed that political memes are effective in expressing political views. Ernest, 18, one of the eleven
people who answered yes explained,“Yes, I think political memes are an effective way kasi through
political memes, mas madali kasing makaabot sa ibang tao yung isang panawagan, advocacy.
Tsaka through political memes kasi, mas madaling maintindihan ng mga tao ang isang concept,
mas madaling maintindihan ng tao kung may social issue at kung paano nangyayari sa mga tao.”
Jomar, 37, was consistent in answering that the attention of span of Filipinos play a part
in the effectiveness of political memes. He also cited a situational example:
Effective siya kasi una nga, kayang makacapture ang attention span ng Pilipino o kaya ng
mga Kano… Feeling ko effective siya kasi kaya mong i-steer yung tao eh. Imbis na hindi
siya magrereply, magrereply siya kasi nagalit siya. Ganun din sa Pinoy napansin ko.
Halimbawa, tirahin mo si Digong o sabihin mong “manyak” magagalit yung mga
Dutertards, yung mga DDS no. Hanggang sa maengage mo sila...may mga levels kasi yan
eh… Yun nga lang nakakapagod pero very effective siya. Kasi once na isulat mo, nandoon
na siya. Maraming makakakita unless burahin ng censorship no? Ayun ganun siya
kaeffective. Hindi nababasa ng ulan, permanent, saka maraming nakakabasa.
Nikholai, 27, also gave importance in the attention span of Filipinos in the effectiveness of
political memes, he said, “Oo [effective], kasi unang-una, ...siguro epekto na lang din na sanay
tayo na instant eh. So maraming tao na mababang-mababa na yung attention span. So marami
dun ay tinatamad o busy rin. Di sila makapagbasa ng marami.” In addition, Mark, 35, also
explained the effectiveness of political memes in the point-of-view of artists. He shared, “Mas
madaling maintindihan ng mga tao kesa sa mahabang sulat or sabihin nating speech siya kasi iba
pa rin talaga yung picture. Kaya mas maganda na isipin mong mabuti kung ano yung gagawin mo
para isang tingin lang ay maintindihan na ng mga tao yung gusto mong iparating.”
Political memes are not effective means to express political views. Angelo had opposite
thoughts about political memes. He said, “I think no kase pag meme… pwede mo siya i-consume
kahit taliwas siya sa views mo sa person. Parang cinoconsume mo yung meme ironically. Minsan
cinoconsume mo siya unironically pero ironic dun sa made up nung meme.”
Political memes as means to express political views depend on their effectivity. On the
other hand, the two remaining participants think that the effectivity of political memes depend on
how the word “effective” is used. “Again, depends on the definition of effective…” Calla said,
“It’s been effective in finding like-minded people and generally inviting humor in the midst of the
chaos that is any political system.” And as mentioned by Mike, 28, in the previous questions, “Like
what I said sa question kanina I cannot truly quantify it to be an ‘effective way.’”
Table 12
Political Memes as an Influencer to a Person’s Political View
Theme Frequency
Yes 7
No 5
It depends 4
Political memes influence to a person’s political view. “Memes present their message
usually in a more straightforward manner, which can make a person consider a point that they
haven’t thought of before,” Magister Musicae says. For Ernest, the surge of political memes during
the 2016 elections became a catalyst for his political awareness. He cited The Evangelical Order,
The Miraculous for Roxas, and The Official Gazette as his first political meme pages followed.
Jomar shares the same insights with Ernest where he was fascinated how Duterte a, then, no one
into having 16 million followers and the current president of the Philippines. Jomar instills that
Davao political memes contributed to Duterte’s popularity.
“Gumawa ng mga meme tungkol sa nagawa niya sa Davao, kondisyon ng Davao, mga
nagawa niya bilang mayor, maraming naconvert. Biro mo, umabot ng 16 million [yung
2016 votes ni Duterte] diba? Pero before 16 million, si Digong, wala yan eh. Wala yan sa
political map eh. Ang naglalaban lang ay yung apat na basura eh. Si Binay, si Grace Poe,
si Mar Roxas, diba? Dun mo lang malaman-laman. Pero biro mo ah nagblow-up.”
Other participants also mentioned various pressing issues in the Philippines such as the
displacement of Indigenous People in places like New Clark City, and the La Mesa Dam issue.
These issues were translated into political memes to broadcast the topic in social media. As Patrick
believes, the more internet engagement you have, the higher the influence tendency of political
posts.
In addition, Vince narrated that political memes are used as a means of resistance on
Facebook. Vince added, “ Kung malakas ang propaganda ni Duterte ng fake news, mas kailangan
ngayon ng resistance ng propaganda nila.” Jomar claims that studies show that you only need
10% to catch and sway the attention of the people. The attention span of everyone must be
considered to make a political meme influential.
Political memes do not influence to a person’s political view. On the other hand, four
participants think that political memes do not influence a person’s political view. Participants such
as Mike thinks that they are not influenced by political memes, but they think that political memes
can be a trigger to a further study. Siopao said that he is not be easily influenced by political memes
because he claims to have firm beliefs that are hard to shake.
Political memes influence a person’s political view depending on the situation. The
influence of political memes is not as black or white. There are grey areas. Participants thought
that the gullibility of the person to change beliefs, the firmness of political beliefs, and the kind of
meme are factors that might affect one’s cognition.

Siopao also stated that political memes can be an influencer when popular people are
involved. In addition, he added that direct and indirect memes have different impacts on its
audience. Siopao said the political memes directed towards a certain politician will not affect him,
while, indirect memes can influence him. Similarly, Romer stated:
“Oo malaking effect yun but it depends on them kung magiging gullible ba sila sa mga
gagawin kong meme. … Ang impact sa kanya is either positive or negative so syempre
yung ibang makakakita don in a negative way iisipin nila ‘uhm ay totoo bang ganito ‘to
ganon’ so magbibigay sila ng feedback na negative. So sa kabilang parte naman parang
‘oo nga’ so they’re gonna research kung totoo ba talaga o hinde. Then if they will find it
na true, they will agree on that.”
Overall, the political meme enthusiasts of these study had divergent thoughts and yielding
opinions on political memes as an influencer to their political views.
Table 13
Whether Political Memes change Political Views
Theme Frequency
Yes 6
No 8
Yes, political memes can change political views. Five participants agreed that various
memes can still influence others and change their belief towards a political candidate or issue.
Xyber simply chatted“Generally saying yes” when he was interviewed. Meanwhile, in
Nikholai’s almost-a-decade use of memes, he exampled the North Korean memes that he saw
online changed his view of North Korea.

“After nakita ko yung meme na never siyang [North Korea] nang-gyera ng kahit anong
bansa. Never siyang bumomba ng ibang bansa. Parang ‘ay oo nga. Totoo ng siya ah.’
…Leftist din ako eh kaso medyo critical ako sa North Korea noon. Ngayon, mas nalalaman
mo na yung mga taong, ayun, may mga tao akong personal na kilala na bilang nakapunta
na doon tapos nakapagsabi na ‘Ay oo nga. Ganun nga dun.’ So parang I’ve been fed lies
all this time ganun.”
Specific political memes such as the Bam Aquino meme, and the Renato Reyes meme
made Vince, a 21-year-old art director, reflect and change his political ideologies towards those
certain political candidates. Vince also described how Chel Diokno was added to his senator list
for the 2019 Elections because of the Diokno meme proliferation (Figure 9).
Figure 9. Viral Chel Diokno Meme
“Dati ‘di ko kilala si Diokno tas nung maraming memes sa kanya, yung mga woke na mga
tao, tayo ganyan, yung mga matatalino. Yun yung dami nilang pinopost nila na magaling
siyang mambabatas ganun tas syempre, “Di ko kilala yun!” Tas sinearch ko, angas nga
ng credentials tas yung stand pa sa mga issues, ok. Tas pinanood ko yung ano, fast talk
niya,” Vince narrated.
“Kung babad na babad ka sa internet, talagang makakaapekto siya. Mataas ang chances
na maimpluwensyahan ka,” Patrick said. The interview of Patrick showed that his belief to
President Duterte changed as the years have passed. At first, Patrick sees Duterte as a straight-to-
the-point guy with a heart for the masses, but now, he saw the flawed ways of the administration,
mainly through the political posts in his timeline.
Lastly, Ernest’s exposure to at least four political meme pages changed his neutral stand
into an anti-Marcos revolutionist stand. The political meme pages that he stated posts the damages
that the Marcos administration has done through the years.
No, political memes cannot change political views. Nine out of fourteen participants
claim that political memes cannot easily change their political view because they tend to have firm
beliefs. When the participants answered “no” in this question, they usually have short statements
like Angelo stating, “No, hindi pa naman so far,” Magister Musicae writing “No, I don’t think
so,” and Mike reluctantly saying “No, never pa ata.”
August’s answer is quite longer than the other participants with the same answer. He said,
“No. Not something that reached the point that I changed my mind on an issue,” But the following
interview conversation with Siopao gave a better overview of how a political meme can or cannot
change one’s political view.
Figure 10. Viral Leni Robredo Meme

“Siopao: No, kaya nga sabi ko kanina hindi ako madaling maimpluwensyahan. Kasi hindi
naman talaga lahat ng sinasabi sa gobyerno ay totoo. Alam mo yung ano, alam mo
yung gumawa ng meme tungkol kay Leni Robredo (Figure 10)?
Interviewer: Yun po bang “rapist is for… rape is dahil sa rapist”?
Siopao: Yes, yes. Ginawan ng meme yun. Since si Leni Robredo siya, tingin ng page na yun
ay nakakatawa. Pero in reality, it is the truth
Interviewer: Yea, actually
Siopao: Eh kung may narape, dahil yun may rapist. Pero yung iba iniisip na stupid yun
kasi common sense na lang iyon pero kahit nga common sense ‘di pa rin magets ng
iba”
Overall, the beliefs and constructs of the participants whether or not political views are
changed by political memes are varied. Also, some participants noted that fact-checking is also an
important aspect to analyze the absolute truth of every news.
Table 14
Political Meme Creators’ Sources of Political Information
Theme Frequency
Online news sources 6

Television news 4
Printed sources 4
Experience 4
Other political sources 3
Online news sources. Social media is one of the participants’ main source of political
information. Online news sources are said to be reliable sources of information, but, other
participants claim these news sources as biased. Patrick, a 21-year-old student, says that he seldom
watches the television, so he relies on news articles like ABS-CBN Online to avoid fake news.
Patrick narrates, “[sa] ABS-CBN, GMA, yung mga Phil-star, Inquirer, dun ako kumukuha ng
information,” Meanwhile, Vince, a 21-year-old art director, and Ernest, an 18-year-old student,
both prefers the Facebook page named Ibon Foundation as their main news source. Vince also
adds that he reads news from Tudlapro, Manila Today, Bulatlat, and Kudao Productions. He
believes that these sources are unbiased compared to mainstream news sources because news on
the mainstream media can be manipulated by their sponsors and advertisements. Vince narrated:
“...yung Nescafe, sa factory nila maraming underpaid. Tapos dahil underpaid sila, yung
mga manggagawa ng Nescafe, nagprotesta sila, nagstrike sila ganyan. Ang sabi ng
Nescafe, kapag ‘di [kayo] tumigil tatanggalin namin kayo. Eh alam ng mga manggagawa
na ‘di sila pwedeng tanggalin kasi paralyzed yung Nescafe, walang gagalaw. … Bakit wala
sa news yun? Bakit wala sa ABS[-CBN] at GMA yun? Kasi kumbaga ano ba yung kalahati
ng mga commercials ng ABS[-CBN]? … Bakit sila magbabalita na anti sa sponsor nila
diba?”
Mark mainly relies on Facebook or Twitter for Philippine news because the time difference
of Canada and Philippines hinders the television news updates. In addition, Siopao’s primary
source of information is also Facebook, but Siopao emphasized that fact-checking through the
comments section and other sources are important aspect of social media as a source of political
information. Patrick shares the same insights wherein he said that “I read the comments para
malaman ko yung stand ng mga tao.”
Television news. Even on the advent of this Internet age, television news and printed news
materials are still used by the people. Four participants said that they watch the television for news.
Xyber, a 23-year-old student, simply said that he gathers political information on the television
because he does not rely on Facebook. Meanwhile, Mark, a 35-year-old part-time political cartoon
artist, says that 40% of his political information came from television news and on print.
Printed sources. Four meme enthusiasts narrated that they used printed news materials.
Xyber, 23-year-old, relies on newspapers, and Ernest, an 18-year-old student, reads their campus
publication for political information. Meanwhile, Jomar, a 37-year-old self-employed, said that
he reads history clippings and history books to increase his knowledge of politics.
Experience. Personal experience and other people’s experience can also be sources of
political information. Ernest is part their campus publication, so, his main source is going to the
actual community. Meanwhile, Vince stayed in Hacienda Luisita for a few months. He found out
that the farmers there were only paid ₱12 per week. This is a political news that Vince witnessed
through his immersion in the field.
Other political sources. Lastly, other political sources are also described by the
participants. Magister Musicae, a 34-year-old teacher, said that he gathers news from
“mainstream media mostly, but varied sources and political commentary from other people as
well.” Jomar uses government archives found on the Philippine government’s official web
pages. He also reads these archives to confirm the validity of the memes that he saw online.
Meanwhile, Nikholai studies political theories, like Marxism and Taoism, to back-up the
information that he gained from different sources.
Overall, the different aspects of political memes found in the interviews. The Results
chapter gave an overview of the demographics, the thematic analysis of the research’s main
objectives, and the ancillary data about Philippine political memes.

Chapter V. Discussion
In the previous chapter, the results of the data gathering, and analyses were presented. The
said results provided the researchers with information about the factors that influence the use of
political memes, the positive effects and negative effects of political memes as a way of expressing
political views. In this Discussion chapter, the researchers will evaluate and interpret the results
in order to assess their meaning.
The factors that influence the use of political memes
The results showed that there are six factors that can influence the use of political memes:
purpose, humor, simplicity, visual impact, target audience, and expression of self/identity and
creativity. Most of the participants considered purpose as an important factor because they believe
that everything is political nowadays. The purpose is very subjective, and it differs among people.
In this context purpose is explained as the goal or message the meme is trying to convey to its
viewers. In this case an individual will not support nor interact with a meme if its purpose is not
in line with his/her beliefs or interests.
Humor, on the other hand, is also a factor that needs to be considered on the use of political
memes. It makes something serious or heavy more bearable for the reader or the person consuming
the meme. Ancheta (2011) in her research in humor found that national humor have a great
influence in showcasing “Filipino-ness,” and is evident on how Filipinos express their local and
national experiences. Therefore, Filipinos were found to use humor in coping up with their life
experiences and it has become one of their distinct characteristics.
A political meme's simplicity, its ability to convey a message, and visual impact were found
to help for it to be effective. One of our participants, who is an art director, shared that Filipinos
have a shorter attention span compared to other nationalities. This supports the factors that a
political meme should be able to easily catch the attention of the individual and convey its message
properly. A local study by Bullecer and Guevarra (2015) showed that the increasing and decreasing
of the levels of internet dependency of Filipinos may affect their levels of attention.
It is also important to know the target audience in knowing how effective a political meme
can be. For example, an individual who supports a specific political party will show less interest
in a political meme that does not concern the party that he/she supports. According to Tajfel (1979)
on Social identity that in order to increase our self-image we improve the status of the group that
we belong to.
Lastly, the expression of self and creativity were considered as factors by our participants
who happened to be cartoonists and artists. A participant explained how a meme can be a symbol
of identification. Just like how we use iPhones in order to identify ourselves as “Apple users,” we
use political memes to identify ourselves depending on our values and beliefs. This can be
interpreted using the theory of psychosocial development by Erikson (1963) because the young
adult age range falls under the stages “Identity vs. Role Confusion” and “Intimacy vs. Isolation”
where the individual seeks his/her identity and belongingness in the society. Social Identity theory
by Tajfel (1979), which explains how a person’s sense of self is based on the group they associate
themselves with, can also be used to interpret how individuals use political memes to identify and
express themselves.
The impact of political memes on an individual's existing political stand
The participants of this study have divergent thoughts about the impact of political memes
on an individual's existing political stand. Political memes are said to generate new ideas, reaffirm
existing political beliefs, entertain the people, and make easy digestion of information. These
impacts show how political memes affect the cognitive-behavioral processing of a person.
The first impact of memes is the generation of new ideas. In cognitive psychology, the
mental processes that come from the generation of new ideas or concepts to form associations to
pre-existing beliefs is called creativity (New World Encyclopedia, 2017). Moreover, design
heuristics is a heuristics used by designers to form concepts and generate as many ideas as possible
(Seifert, et al., 2015). Memes have the power in connecting its message to create meaning to its
viewer.
The impact about reaffirmation of existing beliefs can be explained by the Filipino concept
of kapwa. Enriquez (1978) described kapwa as the core value of a Filipino. He says that a bad
person who is labeled such as walang pakikisama (a surface value) or walang pakiramdam (a pivot
value) is better than labeled as walang kapwa-tao. Pakikipagkapwa also involves having a positive
engagement and good interpersonal relationship (Manalastas, 2009). This value may imply the
Filipino meme enthusiasts’ urge to find people or memes with similar political beliefs to gain a
kapwa and to have a sense of belongingness to the meme.
A Filipino’s happiness is a result of their emotional support and self-esteem (Uchida,
Norasakkunkit, & Kitayama, 2004). Political memes are said to entertain the people, thus, its
audience may gain positive emotional support.
On the other hand, the meme’s impact of having an easy digestion of information can be
explained by the attribution theory. Fiske and Taylor (1991) formally defined attribution theory as
“how the social perceiver uses information to arrive at causal explanations for events.” Memes are
the source of information while its audience are the social perceiver of the meme. The perceived
information in the meme create the meme enthusiast’s explanations about the issue involved.
In addition, seven participants said political memes do affect, five meme creators said no,
and four believed that it depends on the situation. These varying ideations may be influenced by
their personal beliefs and stands on different political issues. The participants who said "yes"
generally stated that political memes may spark one's consciousness to the different political
issues, which will then affect the political stand of a person. Contrastingly, the participants who
voted "no" dictates that they have their own beliefs that cannot be easily influenced by others, and
political memes only trigger them to conduct more research about the issue. So as the interviews
narrate, the people who are usually easily affected by political memes are the individuals who do
not have a strong political stand because the exposure to political memes can lead to more
ideologies, which then mold and create a person's current political stand. Therefore, the effect of
political memes depends on the gullibility or firmness of the person's political stand.
The positive impacts of using political memes as a way of expressing their political views
Philippine political memes have positive and negative impacts to its creators and to its
audience. On a face value level, memes are usually funny pictures that easily attract an audience.
It usually has a simple design that helps the proliferation of ideas, and the humor of political memes
makes them enjoyable to be seen in one's Facebook timeline. Also, Filipinos are generally happy
people. As Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile (2010) campaign tagline says, "Gusto ko happy
ka!" ("I want you to be happy!"). Filipinos tend to laugh or smile as a coping mechanism whenever
they face challenges in life. A political meme can touch that happy side of the Filipinos by
engaging the meme enthusiasts into the politics within the memes. As the study of Guadagno et
al. (2013) concluded, the people on the Internet are more likely to forward highly emotional videos
than the control videos. Similarly, the Philippine study of Quiñones (2015) about mass media and
the attitude towards Bangsamoro showed that the mass media is used to gather information, and
mass media can easily mold attitude among individuals. Furthermore, these attitudes can be
described by hot cognition or cold cognition. Hot cognition refers to the positive and negative
emotional-information processing (Kunda, 1999), while the cold cognition refers to the
emotionless processing (Abelson, 1963; and Redlawsk, 2002). Lodge and Taber (2005) also said
that political information about one’s leaders, groups, and issues has the higher tendency of having
automatic and emotional processing (Quiñones, 2015).
The last positive impact of memes is to elicit awareness and political engagement.
Bjarneskans, Grønnevik and Sandberg (1999) compared the lifecycle of a meme to a parasite.
“During the transmission phase of the meme it is encoded in a vector, such as a spoken
message, text, image, email, observed behavior or slab of stone. When a potential host
decodes the meme (reads the text, hears the message) the meme may become active and
infects the person, who becomes a new host (the infection phase). At some point the meme
is encoded in a suitable vector (not necessarily the same medium it was originally decoded
from) and can be spread to infect new hosts” (Bjarneskans, Grønnevik & Sandberg, 1999).
With this citation, the impact of political memes as catalysts for the awareness and political
engagement is supported. Once a political meme is seen, then, that person can grasp an issue in an
instant and make certain actions, such as commenting or researching the topic, directed by the
political meme.
The negative impacts of using political memes as a way of expressing political views
For the negative effects, four themes emerged in the results. The negative impacts of
political memes are possible emotional distress, possible miseducation to its viewers, conveys
incomplete information, and lessens actual action. Most of the participants said that political
memes promote the use of fake news or trolls. Fake news is a big issue because fake news affects
people's idea of the truth. Misinformation hinders the wise actions that can be done by the people.
Correspondingly, the 2018 Pulse Asia Survey about social media use and fake news found that
88% of their 1,800 respondents are aware of fake news and 79% of the participants think that fake
news is widespread on the Internet. Furthermore, the researchers of the current study thought that
fake news is tantamount to Filipino social media users because the Philippines is a collectivist
country. Filipinos tend to cling and get the attention of other people to be liked by others - whether
or not this information is said to be true. Cognitive dissonance is another psychological concept
that occurs during the process of using memes. An individual may feel some discomfort and lead
to an alteration of his/her attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors in order to reduce the discomfort and
restore balance.
Another negative impact is that political memes can oppress other people. It can hurt other
people’s feelings and cause emotional distress by making an infamous political meme out of a
certain candidate, political party, or issue. Peracullo’s (2017) analysis of the “Youth Revolt”
through slogans and memes showed how the youth fight against late president Marcos’s burial in
the Libingan ng Mga Bayani. Online assaults like stating "the youth are not yet born during the
Marcos era" and "You were not there during the birth of Jesus but you happily enjoy Christmas!"
show how memes in social media can be used as a platform to criticize the opposing party
(Peracullo, 2017). Online shaming is one of the reasons why possible emotional distress can be
caused by political memes. Given that a lot of Filipinos are wide users of Facebook, Rodriguez
(2017) conducted a study on smart shaming of Filipinos in Facebook and said that most of the
target of people who do online shaming are people who shows socially undesirable behavior or
actions that are not in line with social standards. This may also occur when an individual have
contradicting views with another person. His study also found the Filipinos as prone to manifest
cyber-aggression; this is an intentional attack, through the use of media, towards a person or group
of any age. It is known to hurt feelings, destroy relationships, and cause other undesirable
emotions. Grigg (2010) described cyber-aggression as the use of mobile phones and internet to
bully, stalk, abuse, and do violent acts like leaking videos and photos, outing private information
of the victim, using foul language, and shaming the person.
As a counterattack, some meme enthusiasts make sure that they validate or “fact-check”
the issues that they see before re-posting or sharing it. They look for the videos or the primary
source of the issue before concluding a judgment. A simple act of using Google and related sites
to search for similar news on other news sources is a must-do for intellectual people.
Political memes can give a shallow understanding or misinterpretation of the political issue.
Political memes are usually drawings with little to no text. The lack of caption can lead to a lack
of understanding or misunderstanding for the people. Mike, a narrated that today's politics was
simplified into just catchy headlines and screaming arguments rather than substantial
conversations. As one participant said, simple memes convey simple messages.
Political memes can be explain by the heuristic-systematic model of Chen and Chaiken
(1999). In the systematic processing, political meme enthusiasts may see a political meme and then
search for further explanation of that meme although this process is time-consuming. Another
approach is to have a heuristic processing wherein people views the meme through the different
types of heuristics, and through their own judgment. An example is the consensus heuristics which
may happen when meme enthusiasts observe recurring or similar themes within the comments
section of the political meme. In addition, availability heuristics can happen when political memes
are often seen by meme enthusiasts. These meme enthusiasts may generalize the political memes
as their main issues because these political memes tend to stand out in their Facebook timeline.
Political memes can lessen the actual action of the audience. Social media users can react
to political memes online, yet, they do not elicit physical actions. Online political meme
engagement can be exceptional, but rallies are taboo to the people. Also, it was noticed by the
current researchers that some meme enthusiasts do not vote during Philippine elections mainly
because of various personal reasons. Petty and Cacioppo’s elaboration likelihood model (1981)
which implies that low motivation to indulge in an issue will give low elaboration and shallow
understanding of the issue. This model explains why political meme enthusiasts only like, share,
or comment on political memes and not engage in outside-the-internet solutions. Scrolling the
social media timeline and seeing political memes can limit the participants’ interaction to memes
and neglect the other information pertaining to that political issue.
In addition, thirteen out of fourteen participants are male. Through the process of searching
for participants, the researchers noticed that the majority of Filipino meme enthusiasts are male.
This can be explained through the patriarchy that exists in our country and in the political setting.
A study by Anonuevo (2000) found that only 15% of all elective positions through the 1998
elections. Even though the numbers are increasing as more women are being elected in Philippine
politics, the representation is still not enough for the patriarchal system to be gone. It was also
found that political memes stimulate conversations based on the different ways of expressing
political views on Facebook.
In conclusion, a political meme can be seen as effective if it is purposive, funny, simple,
eye-catching, targets a specific audience, timeless, easily available, convenient, expresses the
self/identity, expresses creativity, patriotic, and able to convey the message that it brings. A
person's existing political belief serves as a guide that navigates how you express your political
beliefs. Also, the effectiveness of political memes to one's existing beliefs is mainly rooted in the
gullibility or firmness of one's political stand. Lastly, political memes have a positive and negative
effect on the people, so, everyone advised to regulate its use and check its validity before making
judgments toward the political meme.

Chapter VI. Conclusion and Recommendations
This chapter contains the overall findings of the research. This research aimed to study the
use of internet memes as a means of expressing political views of Filipino young adult meme
enthusiasts. To be specific, the researchers aimed to know the factors that influence the use of
political memes, the impact of political memes to an individual’s existing political stand, the
influence of political memes to a person’s political view, and the positive and negative effects of
political memes to the individual. Throughout the conduction of this research, ancillary data were
also gathered, and the researchers believe that these data will greatly support the study.
The study found that the factors that affect the use of political memes among Filipino young
adult meme enthusiasts include the purpose, humor, simplicity, visual impact, target audience, and
expression of self/identity and creativity. These factors were explained by the participants based
on how they perceived political memes. On the other hand, the participants of this study had
divergent thought on the impact of political memes on an individual’s political stand. Even though
the majority agreed that political memes affect an individual’s political stand, some disagreed or
had reservations.
This study also found the positive and negative effects of political memes in the
Philippines. Given that our participants we all meme creators, we also asked what their perceived
opinion on the positive and negative effects of political memes to the receiving end or the ones
who see and interact with the memes that they make. For the positive effects, memes are usually
funny pictures that easily attract an audience. It helps in the proliferation of ideas, and the humor
of political memes makes them enjoyable to be seen in one’s Facebook timeline. For the creators’
side, most of the participant said that it had little to no effect on them. For the negative effects, the
participants included possible emotional distress, possible miseducation to its viewers, conveys
incomplete information, and lessens actual action. Most of them also said that political memes
promote the use of fake news or trolls. For the creator’s side, the majority said it also had little to
no effect to them.
As mentioned, ancillary data were also gathered and included in the study to explain the
main results better. These data include information about the different ways of expressing political
views on Facebook, the average use of political memes of Facebook, the effectiveness of political
memes as a means of expressing political views, the change of political views because of political
memes, and the political meme creators’ sources of political information.
The study showed that using political memes, sharing of news articles or posts, sharing of
posts with commentaries, using political cartoons or comics, and sharing of personal experience
through simple Facebook posts are the different ways the participants express their political views
on Facebook. It also showed that the average use of political memes among meme enthusiasts are
consistent, making them fit for our study. In addition, most of the participants consider political
memes to be effective in expressing their political views. However, almost all of the participants
have never had a change of political view because of political memes. Lastly, the participants cited
online news sources. television news, printed sources, experience, other political sources as their
main sources of political information.
Future researchers are recommended to have a larger pool of political meme participants
since this current study only has 14 participants. All of the participants create and post their own
political memes. A recommendation for future studies is to interview political meme enthusiasts
that do not create memes and compare their responses to people who create their own memes.
Since the topic of interest is related to politics, an additional political safety net is also suggested
to ensure participants’ confidentiality and to gather more political meme participants. Other studies
can also compare the differences of memes across different social media sites. Aside from political
memes, future studies can also dwell on the other varieties’ topics of memes such as beauty pageant
memes or film-related memes. The exploration of the memes’ comments section is also a great
topic of interest that one can adapt. Lastly, the researchers recommend studying the factors that
affect the relationship of gender to the creation of political memes, since, thirteen out of fourteen
participants of the current study are males.

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Running Head: Philippine Political Memes

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Running head: PHILIPPINE POLITICAL MEMES

University of the Philippines

Political Meme and Filipino Young Adult Meme Enthusiasts:

Joyce Anne N. Garcia

Figure 1. Publication material for the Political Meme Study

Background of the Study

Have you ever seen this digital picture of

guy who points out to a yellow butterfly (Figure 2),

or similar picture hierarchy of exploding brain with

in-line quotations (Figure 1)? If yes, then you have

seen a meme. During this 21st century, memes

became so popular in social media sites. An internet

satires as a medium for expressing their political discourse.

This study is a qualitative research that is Descriptive-Exploratory research in nature. It

memes as a means of expressing political discourse.

Objectives of the Study

● to know the impacts of political memes on their current political stand,

Statement of the Problem

the researchers aim to find answers throughout the study:

Significance of the Study

are also reflected in this paper.

that are found in social media sites.

expression is highly relevant.

to the field of Filipino psychology.

be understood and examined.

Scope and Delimitations

these meme posts are sometimes shared on Facebook.

This research is a qualitative research using a Descriptive-Exploratory Approach. Surveys

be reflected in this study.

also the definition of meme.

currently ages 18-37 that are born in the Philippines.

after engaging with political memes.

young adult meme enthusiasts.

political memes to express their political stand.

enthusiasts to the different issues of the Philippines.

● Administrator. An administrator or an admin is a person that manages all the settings of

viewers, and members of the group or page.

of communication used by meme enthusiasts.

to its audience. See also the definition of Political Meme.

projected, and understood by the people.

specific display of a political meme in a social media account.

social media post in order to post or repost a political meme.

Filipino young adult meme enthusiasts like and share memes.

Chapter II. Review of Related Literature

examples given by Dawkin.

through the internet.”

Another information on how internet memes spread is:

of each type of memes.

Figure 3. Classics Meme entitled Why U Do Dis?!

make any sense at all.

Figure 6. Fanbase Meme about Game of Thrones

Figure 7. Education Meme about Operant Conditioning

a greater conceptual system, the ‘culture’ from which it comes.”

social stereotypes. (Dobson & Knezevi, 2017)

information-processing of memes in the brain. Correspondingly, Stryker (2011) described memes

Social Media and Memes

According to Investopia (2018), social media as "a computer-based technology that

makes efficient memetic communication possible: replicability, searchability, persistence, and

economic, cultural, and generation barriers to distribution of pre-Internet cultural

and thus exploitable.

ephemeralities of co-present interaction.

Politics and Memes

Filipinos and Memes