Memes: From innocent format to a tool for a strategic influence

Internet memes may seem like a playful, innocent media format, often associated with younger generations producing these media formats for purely entertainment purposes. And while they often are, this is not always the case, as their role can extend far beyond entertainment. Over the last two decades, memes have emerged as powerful tools within propaganda, influence campaigns, as well as within the climate change discourse. This media format is so significant that the U.S. Department of Defense and  Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have studied memes' ​potential to influence culture, reinforce ideologies, and even alter behavior (DiResta et al., 2019). As early as 2006, U.S. Marine Corps Major Michael B. Prosser proposed that NATO should establish a "meme warfare center" (NATO, 2006), arguing that information operations and strategic communications were failing to leverage the power of memes. 

Although NATO never established a meme warfare center, the idea of utilizing memes within strategic communication has persisted across the globe (Foreign Policy, 2017). For instance, the NAFO movement utilization of memes (The Kyiv Independent, 2023), demonstrates the power of memes to influence narratives and mobilize support. The viral nature of memes, as well as the element of innocence where few would suspect that memes could be tools of strategic communication, even so more tools of aiming to influence one's decision-making process, makes these media formats particularly effective and trustworthy. The continued relevance of memes is further evident by their use in political campaigns, such as Kamala Harris' meme-centered strategies aimed at engaging and appealing to Gen Z audiences (United States Studies Centre, 2024), far-right usage of memes aiming to normalize far-right ideology (National Coordinator for Counterrorism and Security, 2024) and the ecofascist usage of memes (Darwish, 2024). 

Memes within climate discourses

Memes are actively used in climate change discussions both as tools for spreading disinformation and climate-related pessimistic messaging aimed at increasing climate denialist sentiments. However, memes can and are also leveraged by organizations seeking to use satire and the effective media format of memes to raise awareness about climate change issues. 

Despite the favorable use of memes in promoting climate awareness, for instance, Putin's ruled Russia has used memes to influence climate change discourses in the United States. The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (2018) confirmed in its report that agents were exploiting American social media platforms to disrupt domestic energy markets, suppress research and development in fossil fuels, and obstruct efforts to expand the use of natural gas (Canada's National Observer, 2018). According to information provided by Twitter, more than 4% of all IRA (Internet Research Agency) tweets were related to energy or environmental issues, a significant proportion compared to the 8% of IRA tweets that were related to the U.S. elections. These tweets targeted pipelines, fossil fuels, climate change, and other divisive issues to influence public policy in the United States. While some of the memes propagated by the IRA were climate denialist, the majority resembled those created by climate change activists and were, in fact, anti-climate denialist. This makes IRA memes particularly interesting, as memes do not necessarily deny climate change, yet could, within certain context, have the potential to influence climate change debates.