Internet memes became an inevitable part of the digital world. They come in different forms such as images, videos or hashtags, however, in most cases, they are pictures of a person or animal with a funny or provocative caption underneath. They spread incredibly fast, especially these days when content which is interesting or important to a great number of people circulates in the network with the lightning speed.
Internet memes are, perhaps, the most frequently shared form of content which gives no information but implies only evaluation, exaggeration, or sarcasm. Some memes are to be understood only within a particular socio-cultural context as they show the reaction to events which are relevant to members of a limited community (like citizens of one country). But most pictures provide an emotional response to some hot-button phenomena or events and they spread across the cultures.
It seems that memes appear spontaneously and are shared merely because of their humor. Nevertheless, funny images became an important tool in political races. Pictures with the minimal amount of text which convey critique or support of a candidate attract the attention of young people who previously showed no interest in the elections. Therefore, memes could be designed to provoke a reaction of individuals or accelerate certain changes within the community.
Presentation of memes as a form of hegemonic culture may take place in a certain political context in case politicians try to discredit their opponents or ingrain false assumptions to the public. Memes were not originally designed as a manipulation tool, but they can be misused in such a way due to their viral character.