Humor, culture, and compliance in health crisis communication: a multimodal analysis of government-produced memes for a local community during a global pandemic

Government social media accounts have become vital tools for disseminating health information, encouraging public compliance with health policies, and maintaining communication during health crises. Moving beyond traditional formal announcements, this study examines internet memes as a form of government health crisis communication by drawing upon a case study of 1,867 internet memes produced and circulated by the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission in China on its WeChat Public Account during a citywide COVID-19 lockdown in early 2022. Adopting a social semiotic multimodal approach and multimodal critical discourse analysis, this study identifies three key strategies in the government-produced memes: adapting and normalizing national policies for local audiences, embedding resilience in local culture and ethos, and constructing a localized narrative of optimism. The analysis highlights how humorous and lighthearted memes posted by a government agency reframed strict health policies and measures as humorous and culturally resonant narratives through mobilizing multimodal and local cultural symbols. However, it also underscores that those multimodal and discourse strategies served to legitimize the stringent health directives and reinforce an ideological discourse of collective responsibility, compliance, and ‘positive energy’ within China’s unique political and digital environment. A critical analysis of those memes reveals the embedded ideological work where the voice of authority enforcing pandemic compliance adopts the voices of funny characters and local residents. By analyzing the dynamic interplay of humor, local culture, and ideology in the government-produced memes, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of government-produced multimodal content in health crisis communication.