Brexit Memes Brexit: Exploring discourses of the Brexit negotiations through social media visuals

Abstract: This thesis seeks to analyse a critical juncture in the aftermath of the Brexit vote; Theresa May’s Brexit negotiations. This was a highly contentious time for politics in the UK, eventually leading to an extension on the initial deadline being granted and May’s resignation from the post of Prime Minister. By examining these negotiations through the lens of user-generated memes, the researcher finds a contemporary way to understand the interactive role citizens play in contributing to political discourse. This thesis asks how such discourses are playing out over social media visuals, and in turn, which symbols are being utilized to reflect these discourses. After a thorough investigation of the symbolism at play, ranging from flags to diversity, the researcher concludes that memes make a valuable and creative contribution to political discourse, and should not be disregarded as facetious; indeed their humour allows a fresh take on a serious issue. This thesis takes inspiration from a Research Methodology assignment written as a pilot for this study, entitled, “Exploring discourses of the Brexit negotiations through social media visuals: A visual analysis and discussion of research methods”.