Inevitable and Convenient yet Unrecognised: Internet Memes for the ESL Classroom

Authors

  • Mark Nicholas Glasford Ph.D. Research Scholar (Full Time), Department of English, St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9352-2075
  • Dr. J. John Love Joy Associate Professor, Department of English, St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli

Keywords:

adolescents, digital discourse, memes, innovative strategies

Abstract

Teachers are finding new ways to transform learning spaces, implement new texts and essentially cater to the growing needs of a technophile generation but have not found complete success in their endeavours. While there have been many suggestions to impact the learning process in the classroom, most teachers are unaware of a simple digital entity that plays a central focus in learner discourse. Visually and verbally succinct, memes have created a niche on the internet with a loyal user base of adolescents who create, share and comment on them. This article seeks to introduce memes in the classroom by providing a concise understanding of meme potential.

References

Dawkins, R. (1976). The selfish gene. Oxford University Press.

Davison, P. (2012). The language of internet memes. In M. Mandiberg (Ed.), The social media reader (pp. 120–134). NYU Press. Retrieved May 10, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt16gzq5m.13

Godwin, M. (1994, October 1). Meme, counter-meme. WIRED. https://www.wired.com/1994/10/godwin-if-2/

Harshavardhan, V., Wilson, D. D., & Kumar, M. V. (2019). Humour discourse in internet memes: An aid in ESL classrooms. Asia Pacific Media Educator, 29(1), 41–53. https://doi.org/10.1177/1326365X19842023

Hansen, J. M., & Wilson, P. (2023). Increasing student engagement using ‘meme-based’ exercise innovation. Marketing Education Review, 33(2), 113–117. https://doi.org/10.1080/10528008.2022.2159436

Huang, Z. (2016). An empirical study on the application of memetics to the teaching of college English writing. SHS Web of Conferences, 25.

McCulloch, G. (2019). Because internet: Understanding the new rules of language. Riverhead Books.

Nooney, L., & Portwood-Stacer, L. (2014). One does not simply: An introduction to the special issue on internet memes. Journal of Visual Culture, 13(3), 248–252. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470412914551351

Purnama, A. D., Desiarti, E. M., Aflahah, N. A., & Ekaningrum, V. C. (2018). Utilizing memes to promote students’ motivation in language classrooms. Let: Linguistics, Literature and English Teaching Journal, 7(2), 134–153. https://doi.org/10.18592/let.v7i2.1946

Rintel, S. (2013). Crisis memes: The importance of templatability to internet culture and freedom of expression. Australian Journal of Popular Culture, 2(2). Intellect Limited.

Shifman, L. (2013). Memes in digital culture. The MIT Press.

Ypulse. (2019, March 5). 3 stats that show what memes mean to Gen Z & Millennials. Daily Insight Article. https://www.ypulse.com/article/2019/03/05/3-stats-that-show-what-memes-mean-to-gen-z-millennials/

Downloads

Published

01-01-2025

Issue

Section

Research Articles

How to Cite

Glasford, M. N., & Joy, J. J. L. (2025). Inevitable and Convenient yet Unrecognised: Internet Memes for the ESL Classroom. Journal of English Language Teaching, 67(1), 58–62. https://journals.eltai.in/jelt/article/view/JELT670109

Similar Articles

1-10 of 86

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.