Memes for rapid engagement: A study of memes in an intense and time-sensitive political discourse on Reddit

This study examines memes in an intense and time-sensitive political discourse around the 2024 U.S. presidential candidate debate on Reddit. Through descriptive statistics and an interpretive approach, patterns and features of memes and user information behaviors were examined based on a theoretical framework of information domains. The findings suggest that participants favored quickly shareable formats, such as unedited or quick-captured photos, and also relied heavily on post titles and contextual clues to construct meaning during the time-sensitive event. In addition, this study observed that moderation and community norms on subreddits may have influenced access to memes. This study broadens the understanding of meme culture by focusing on intense and time-sensitive contexts and presents significant considerations in how to define memes and collect them for future research.