The American alt-right in the digital age

: Trumpism and the weaponisation of memes from 2015-2021

Abstract

The concept of the meme was developed by Richard Dawkins in 1976 to equate social evolution with genetic evolution. It has since mutated into a memeplex defined by its prevalence in internet culture. This context offered a unique perspective on the memeplex and its development. My research collates memes proliferated within Twitter hashtags, including but not limited to #MAGA and #Trump2020, between 2015 and 2021. I investigate memes in reference to their hashtag associations, then use semiotics and visual discourse analysis to interpret the memes as visual texts. I examine three thematic sets of memes associated with Donald Trump and the alt-right’s memetic engineering: nationalism, religious influence, and misogynistic associations. Reflecting the scope of this project, these themes have been selected for their unique grasp on and transmission of Trumpism. I unpack these memes to establish the denotations and connotations presented within these signs, especially regarding the role signification plays in mirroring alt-right preoccupations. I then utilise this understanding to answer how much of a grasp the alt-right has on the United States throughout and after the conclusion of Donald Trump’s presidential tenure. This work elucidates ways in which ‘the meme’, when circulated within echo chambers (hashtags), reflects fossilised social, cultural, religious and political preoccupations of the far-right narrative, thereby (re)claiming legitimacy and establishing a credible socio-political alternative. At the crux of this thesis is a warning about the potential consequences if the meme remains unchecked throughout its transmission by alt-right actors.

Date of Award	Jul 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Brighton
Supervisor	Theodore Koulouris (Supervisor), Julia Winckler (Supervisor) & Aris Mousoutzanis (Supervisor)