Just for the Lulz: Persuasive Uses of Shitposting in Digital Society

Abstract

This paper seeks to comprehend the narratives that allow a persuasive use of shitposting and that indirectly cause ethical and political problems through ideological radicalization. We differentiate shitposting from memes, pointing out its ideological character as opposed to the ludic character that memes can have. Subsequently, we show examples of shitposting that encourage violence by some individuals, among which the Christchurch massacre stands out. Likewise, the emotional nature of shitposting is clarified and some philosophical incidences are pointed out, such as the creation of an otherness based on the dissemination of racist and xenophobic ideologies and the difficulty of establishing criteria to verify what is true.