“This lockdown is on auto-renewal”: Multimodal metaphors in coronavirus-related Nigerian WhatsApp memes

This paper explores multimodal metaphors in coronavirus-related WhatsApp memes, shared among Nigerian WhatsApp users, with a view to identifying the social resources (visual and verbal) that determine metaphor choice in the memes. The data, which comprise thirty WhatsApp memes, are analysed qualitatively, using Lakoff’s (1980) concept of conceptual metaphor, Forceville’s (2007) concept of multimodal metaphors and van Dijk’s (2001) socio-cognitive approach in the context of critical discourse analysis. Findings show that the memes project different conceptual metaphors such as COVID-19 IS A LIVING ORGANISM, COVID-19 IS A COMPUTER APPLICATION, COVID-19 IS A FOREIGN DISEASE, COVID-19 IS A FASHION DETERMINER, COVID-19 IS A STATUS LEVELLER and COVID-19 IS AN AGENT CAUSING INEQUALITY. The study concludes that the memes are mainly used to protest against the Nigerian government’s management of the pandemic and the metaphors used reflect the cultural and economic status of the people as well as the political situation in Nigeria.