Language, Politics and Humour: On the Conceptualization of Online Humour Producers as Political Discourse Actors

Jazyk, politika a humor. K problematike konceptualizácie producentov online humoru ako aktérov politického diskurzu

Nina CINGEROVÁ 

https://doi.org/10.53465/JAP.2025.9788022552806.47-56

 

Abstract: This paper examines humor-producing profiles on social media as specific forms of online communities with hierarchical structures centred around administrators as privileged content creators. Building on research on virtual and discourse communities, it argues that humor communities function as symbolic and interpretive collectives whose members co-construct shared narratives through varying degrees of participation, including passive reception. The study adopts the DIMEAN framework to conceptualize these actors within political discourse, emphasizing the role of the producer’s identity in shaping interpretive frames. Humor in these communities is not only representational but often ostensive and performative: not only commenting on political realities but rather exposing them. Drawing on metacommunication theory, the paper shows how humorists activate a humorous frame that encourages audiences to detect paradoxes, incongruities, and contradictions. Thus, humorist online communities emerge as significant political actors, not merely for formulating opinions, but for enabling ironic revelation and discursive critique in contemporary public spheres.

Keywords: humour, online community, ostension, political discourse

Kľúčové slová: humor, online komunita, ostenzia, politický diskurz

Fulltext: PDF

Language of the paper: Slovak

Online publication date: 23 December 2025

Pages: 47 – 56

 

ISBN: 978-80-225-5280-6 (online), 978-80-225-5279-0

ISSN: 2729-8973 (online), 2729-8981

Publisher: Bratislava University of Economics and Business, Vydavateľstvo Ekonóm

 

How to cite this conference proceedings paper (APA 7^th Edition):

Cingerová, N. (2025). Jazyk, politika a humor. K problematike konceptualizácie producentov online humoru ako aktérov politického diskurzu. In R. Štefančík (Ed.), Jazyk a politika. Na pomedzí lingvistiky a politológie X (pp. 47–56). Vydavateľstvo Ekonóm. https://doi.org/10.53465/JAP.2025.9788022552806.47-56