The Metaphorical Creation of a „Vertical-Horizontal” Dichotomy in Digital Political Discourse (on the Example of the Corpus of Memes about the Meeting of Putin and Lukashenko in Sochi)

Abstract

Internet memes are defined as the main structural unit of the modern media space (A. Kvyat), possessing a high persuasive potential. They are viewed not only as an instant reaction of users to events but also as a way of expressing political opinion. The aim is to analyse the metaphorical creation of vertically oriented relations in digital political discourse using the example of a corpus of memes on the theme of the meeting of Presidents Putin and Lukashenko in Sochi in 2020. We interpret the meme as an elaborate semantic complex capable of instant replication, usually of verbal-iconic expression, referring to different spheres-sources that the communicant must identify. In this regard, a high intertextual density of Internet memes is their constitutive feature, and the key requirement for their adequate perception is the general apperception base of the communicants and the recipient’s ability to see the cultural signs embedded in the meme. When comprehending complex international relations in political memetics, the conceptual metaphor of vassalage is actualized. To solve the research problems, the methods of interpretive and intersemiotic analysis, the main provisions of the theory of conceptual metaphor by J. Lakoff and M. Johnson, as well as the theory of conceptual integration (blending, or conceptual amalgams) by G. Fauconnier and M. Turner are used. The emphasis is on considering the iconic component. As a result of the research, the slots of the amalgam „Lukashenko is Putin’s vassal” represented by memes were identified and described taking into account the connections of this metaphorical construct with other fragments of the collective cognitive space. The seme of „subordination and dependence” that gave rise to the conceptual amalgam is explicated through the integration of the sphere of politics with the conceptual spaces of other asymmetric relations (family, feudalism, love relationship). When analysing the corpus of memes, their characteristic property – the realization of valence – was clearly revealed. Due to their topicality, anonymity and prevalence, Internet memes are an indicator of public sentiment and a means of forming the mental attitudes of society.