DefinePK

Abstract

This mixed-methods study investigates the use of politically motivated memes inPakistan, with particular attention paid to their engaging and persuasive effects. Asurvey questionnaire collected data from 530 respondents; content analysis of 100memes of three major parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), PakistanPeoples’ Party (PPP), and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was performed;both quantitative and qualitative data analyses demonstrated that political memescould have significant persuasive impacts on younger audiences, engaging them furtherwhile providing comparative analysis between both methods' findings. Analysis ofsurvey responses shows that most respondents perceive political memes to be aneffective means of conveying political messages. In contrast, content analysis of PTImemes demonstrates their increased engagement compared with those from PPP andPML-N. Furthermore, this research finds that politically charged memes can divideaudiences further while at the same time drawing in those whose preexisting beliefsmatch closer with them. This study contributes to understanding the role of politicallymotivated memes in Pakistani politics, specifically their persuasive and engagingeffects. Furthermore, its findings have implications for communication and marketingstrategies in Pakistan and provide a basis for further investigation of political memes.