Paper short abstract:

In this paper I present an interpretation of memes as parody of Italian public discourse during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. I will use the memes that in Italy had a viral circulation during the March and May 2020, and in following months in relation to the orders of Italian government presidency.

Paper long abstract:

The use of WhatsApp played a central role because it allows instant circulation with the chats of colleagues and friends.

Even Facebook played a great role, due to the ease of use in saving images that circulate in viral way across social network.

These are some sites on Facebook that are the centres of JPEG files or video clips.

Following the models of the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins (The Selfish Gene), these memes can be assimilated to the notion of “meme” which is used more generally in evolutionary biology and in cognitive anthropology (see Dan Sperber La contagion des idées).

These files circulate on the internet and along the social relationships covered by contacts with smartphones and social media in a viral way and by imitation.

According to John Fiske, parody of official discourse is a form of ironic, sarcastic, scatological manipulation that reveals the resistance character of the popular classes. Following David Le Breton, humor is a tool of social criticism, as a sort of ‘cold weapon’ of defenceless citizens.