Authors

Discussion

Whilst scholarly literature has widely explored humour as a form of political resistance, especially in non-democratic contexts, there is a notable gap in the study of joking practices being utilised for authoritarian means and within the modern context of transforming media consumption. This research examines the role of jokes and humour as forms of political action more broadly, as used by the opposition groups and governments either to challenge or consolidate power in authoritarian states like Russia and Belarus, and the US democracy. The article scrutinises the impact of new media and evolving forms of comedic expression—particularly, meta-humour, memes, and viral videos. It explores how the utilisation of postmodernist jesting in political campaigns has gained momentum with the advent of modern communication. This constitutes a comparative content analysis of the new media practices of political actors performed through public platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Telegram channels—including anonymous ones. The initial findings suggest a growing potential for contemporary politically-driven content to engage with non-political demographics, as by merging with casual content, it becomes an integral part of everyday media consumption. The central focus of this research lies in the creation and performance of new political jokes, yet it also considers the influence of the associated practices on the political systems within which they emerge.