THE PECULIARITIES OF FUNCTIONING OF MEMES AS IDEOLOGEMES IN THE MODERN ENGLISH MEDIA DISCOURSE

Abstract

The article analyzes the researches of the Ukrainian and foreign scholars in the fields of sociolinguistics, media linguistics, political and cognitive linguistics. The peculiarities of the media discourse are studied, its basic principles and structural characteristics are singled out, the main aspects of the Internet discourse are studied. Analyzing scientific researches on the outlined issues, the phenomenon of “meme”, the reasons for its formation, and its role in the cultural space were studied. The peculiarities of the memes classification are defined and their role in the media space is outlined, as well as the systematic analysis of the theories related to the studied phenomenon is carried out. During the study of memes as a means of spreading ideology in the media space, the reasons for the transformation of the Internet communication into an alternative method of interaction between people were studied. The article provides a practical justification for the role of media discourse as a simulacrum of reality. The hyperreality of the Internet discourse and the role of memes in the process of self-expression of the Internet groups members are described. The analysis of political memes about D. Trump made it possible to distinguish the stages of the formation of memes as a means of imitating reality. Four stages of transformation of a meme into a means of imitation of fundamental reality are characterized and features of their transformation at each stage are outlined. To determine their semantic characteristics and functions in the Internet space, the component analysis of the Internet memes about D. Trump is carried out. The article determines the role of memes as ideologemes in the political discourse. The main aspects that contribute to the functioning of this phenomenon as a means of spreading ideology within a particular social group are highlighted. The role of verbal and visual components of memes in the media discourse is outlined.