The Ballot or the Meme: Propaganda in the Algerian Hirak 2019
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
UNIVERSITY OF ABBES LAGHROUR-KHENCHELA
Abstract
The trinity of public opinion, social networks and propaganda has gained more light
recently, especially after playing a major role in the outbreak of the Arab Spring and in a
recent case; The Algerian Hirak1 2019. The purpose of this study is to analyze the
ideology, purpose, objectives and techniques involved in the Algerian movement’s memes
2019. Moreover, it seeks to demonstrate the participatory nature of the propaganda shared
through social networks and evaluate the audience’s reaction to participatory propaganda.
The qualitative methodology is what this research required and a 10-point framework
suggested by Jowett and O’Donnell was used as a tool to examine the aforementioned
propaganda using memes from the Algerian movement 2019 as sample material collected
from the internet. The memes analyzed were found to play a rather crucial and logical part
in recruiting new members to the movement, promoting the peaceful image of the Hirak
inside and outside of Algeria, and have succeeded in combining the past, the present and
the future to serve the objectives of the propaganda. However, the propaganda’s
participatory nature prevented the identification of a clear apparent propagandist. This
study proves that memes present in the Hirak were, indeed, propaganda. They served the
movement’s objectives and fit perfectly into the techniques proposed by Jowett and
O’Donnell. Further studies are needed to investigate Algerians’ awareness of the memes
they were exposed to, and to assess the extent of contribution of Algerians into the making
of those memes.