An interpretative analysis of digital memes on private messaging networks and their relationship with resentment in far-right communication.
Digital life has opened up space for resentment to be used as a repertoire of online engagement. A growing body of literature argues that resentment is one of the key explanations for the global resurgence of the far-right. This study aims to investigate how this strategy is present in memes circulated in far-right public discussion groups on WhatsApp in Brazil. An interpretive analysis was conducted after gathering 40 images from a non-probabilistic sample of groups of Bolsonaro supporters. The findings lead to four different dimensions of resentment: hostility, victimism, revisionism, and urgency.
Authors: Viktor Chagas e Vinicius Machado Miguel
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CHAGAS, V.; MIGUEL, V. M. Far-right communication and resentment: an interpretative analysis of digital memes on private messaging networks. The Communication Review, 2025.