Ableist and Non-Ableist Meaning Making of Internet Memes from the Lens of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v13i2.7386Keywords:
Disability Memes, Ableism, Systemic Functional LinguisticsAbstract
This study examines the meaning-making role of speech functions, through the lens of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), in constructing ableist and non-ableist representations in disability-related internet memes. While memes can act as a powerful social and cultural communication medium, most research focuses on memes in general, with little attention to the representation of specific issues, particularly concerning disability. Using a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach, this study analyzed 173 clauses from 90 memes. This study aims to answer how meaning-making is realized in memes about disability and the extent to which the memes attend to the social model of disability and ableism. Findings reveal a predominance of speech roles giving information, 77%, primarily through declarative statements. However, a closer looks within these statements shows 49% clauses containing ableist content, while 51% clauses are non-ableist or neutral. Moreover, speech roles demanding good and service appear less frequently about 13% which indicates a gap between critique and real advocacy. This divided representation, coupled with the scarcity of action-oriented discourse, suggests that while memes can raise awareness and challenge some ableist narratives, a significant portion of meme still reinforces harmful stereotypes. Consequently, the current meme medium is insufficient to fully realize inclusive education or an inclusive society, as ableist content can make it harder for attitudes to change and reflect persistent societal discrimination.
References
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Rahardi, H. R., & Amalia, R. M. (2019). Meme as political criticism towards the 2019 Indonesian General Election: A critical discourse analysis. Studies in English Language and Education, 6(2), 239–250. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v6i2.14020
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Scholz, F. (2020). Taken for Granted: Ableist norms embedded in the design of online recruitment practices. The Palgrave Handbook of Disability at Work. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42966-9_26
Shakespeare, T. (2010). The social model of disability. In Lennard J. Davis (Ed.), The social model of disability: Vol. 5th ed. Routledge.
Sharma, P. (2023). Digital activism: A tool for empowering people with disabilities. EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36713/epra14314
Sofokleous, R., & Stylianou, S. (2023). Effects of exposure to medical model and social model online constructions of disability on attitudes toward wheelchair users: Results from an online experiment. Journal of Creative Communications, 18(1), 61–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/09732586221136260
UNDESA. (2018). Disability and development: Realizing the sustainable development goals by, for, and with persons with disabilities.
Wiggins, B. E., & Bowers, G. B. (2015). Memes as a genre: A structurational analysis of the memescape. Sage Journal. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814535194
Zakem, V., McBride, M. K., & Hammerberg, K. (2018). Exploring the utility of memes for U.S. government influence campaigns. https://imgflip.com/memegeneratorAtasheva, G. (2024). The importance of the English language in the formation of cross-cultural relations. American Journal of Philological Sciences. https://doi.org/10.37547/ajps/volume04issue02-11
Babik, I., & Gardner, E. S. (2021). Factors affecting the perception of disability: A developmental perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.702166
Barnes, C. (2018). Theories of disability and the origins of the oppression of disabled people in Western society. In Theories of Disability and the Origins of the Oppression of Disabled People in Western Society. Routledge.
Brown, M. E. L., & Finn, G. M. (2024). Characterizing ableism to promote inclusivity within clinical teaching. Clinical Teacher, 21(5). https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.13785
Buzaribah, S. T., & Badr, A. M. A. (2024). Studies social and cultural dimensions of the disability problem. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.32996/jhsss
Carroll, S. M., & Shaw, B. (2023). Experiences of Nurses and Midwives with Disabilities: A Scoping Review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 79(11), 4149–4163. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15802
Christiansen, T. (2016). The Internet as a global speech community. Towards plurilingualism and English as a lingua franca. Lingue e Linguaggi, 77–96. https://doi.org/10.1285/I22390359V19P77
Dawkins, R. (2016). The selfish gene 40th anniversary edition. In The Selfish Gene 40th Anniversary Edition (Vol. 40). Oxford University Press.
Fians, G. (2022). Prefigurative politics. Cambridge Encyclopedia of Anthropology. https://doi.org/10.29164/22prefigpolitics
Fox, J. (2021). Re-writing the “rules of engagement”: Using critical reflection to examine ableist social work practice. AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND SOCIAL WORK.
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.11157/ANZSWJ-VOL33ISS1ID822
Hadley, B. (2016). Cheats, charity cases, and inspirations: Disrupting the circulation of disability-based memes online. Disability & Society. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2016.1199378
Halliday, M.A.K., & Matthiessen, C.M.I.M. (2013). Halliday's Introduction to Functional Grammar (4th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203431269
Hutchinson, K., Roberts, C., & Daly, M. (2017). Identity, impairment, and disablement: Exploring the social processes impacting identity change in adults living with acquired neurological impairments. Disability & Society. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2017.1392931
Imran, M. M., & Raza, N. U. A. (2023). Discourse and social media activism: Investigating the role of online discourse in promoting social change. Global Language Review, VIII(II), 337–355. https://doi.org/10.31703/glr.2023(viii-ii).28
Ippolito, S. (2020). The Misrepresentation of the Disability Media Narrative.
Jacobsen, B. N., & Beer, D. (2021). Quantified nostalgia: Social media, metrics, and memory. Social Media and Society, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211008822
Javed, M., Jamil, M. B., & Ahmad, S. (2022). Meme as a tool of social and political commentary: Discourse analysis of memes in Pakistani social media. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research, v5(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.37605/pjhssr.v5i2.321
Jóhannsdóttir, Á., Egilson, S. Þ., & Haraldsdóttir, F. (2022). Implications of internalized ableism for the health and well-being of disabled young people. Sociology of Health and Illness, 44(2), 360–376. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13425
Khanal, K. N. (2023). Disability in Aging People: Functioning difficulties and infrastructural barriers. Journal of Development Review, 8 (1), 124–131. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3126/jdr.v8i1.57120
Leigh, J., Caplehorne, J., & Slowe, S. (2022). Ableism and exclusion: Challenging academic cultural norms in research and communication. Journal of Research Management and Administration. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.18552/jorma.v2i1.764
Mack, K., Hsu, R. C. L., Monroy-Hernández, A., Smith, B. A., & Liu, F. (2023, April 19). Towards inclusive avatars: Disability representation in avatar platforms. Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3581481
Matthiessen, C. M. I. M., & Teruya, K. (2023). Systemic Functional Linguistics: A Complete Guide (1st ed.). Routledge.
Noor, N., & Arshad, A. (2024). Memes as a Mirror of Society: A multimodal critical discourse analysis of Pakistani meme culture. Journal of English Language, Literature and Education, 6, 84–118. https://doi.org/10.54672/jelle.2024.0604247
O’Neill, D., McDonald, D., & Jones, S. (2018). Toying with inclusivity. British Medical Journal. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k5193
Rahardi, H. R., & Amalia, R. M. (2019). Meme as political criticism towards the 2019 Indonesian General Election: A critical discourse analysis. Studies in English Language and Education, 6(2), 239–250. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v6i2.14020
Rezeki, T. I., Wahyudin Sagala, R., & Rabukit, R. (2024). From Humour to Impact: Internet Memes in Political Discourse through (De)legitimization. https://doi.org/10.70082/esic/8.1.062
Salinger, M. R., Feltz, B., Chan, S. H., Gosline, A., Davila, C., Mitchell, S., & Iezzoni, L. I. (2023). Impairment and disability identity and perceptions of trust, respect, and fairness. JAMA Health Forum, 4(9), E233180. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.3180
Samuel J., K. (2024). Exploring disability representation in art and media. Idosr Journal of Communication and English, 9(3), 16–20. https://doi.org/10.59298/IDOSR/JCE/93.1620.202400
Scholz, F. (2020). Taken for Granted: Ableist norms embedded in the design of online recruitment practices. The Palgrave Handbook of Disability at Work. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42966-9_26
Shakespeare, T. (2010). The social model of disability. In Lennard J. Davis (Ed.), The social model of disability: Vol. 5th ed. Routledge.
Sharma, P. (2023). Digital activism: A tool for empowering people with disabilities. EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36713/epra14314
Sofokleous, R., & Stylianou, S. (2023). Effects of exposure to medical model and social model online constructions of disability on attitudes toward wheelchair users: Results from an online experiment. Journal of Creative Communications, 18(1), 61–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/09732586221136260
UNDESA. (2018). Disability and development: Realizing the sustainable development goals by, for, and with persons with disabilities.
Wiggins, B. E., & Bowers, G. B. (2015). Memes as a genre: A structurational analysis of the memescape. Sage Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814535194
Zakem, V., McBride, M. K., & Hammerberg, K. (2018). Exploring the utility of memes for US government influence campaigns (No. DRM2018U017433Final).
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