How anti-vax memes replicate through satire and irony

By Jan Buts, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Translation Studies, Trinity College Dublin

For most of us, memes are the harmless fodder of an “extremely online” internet culture, floating benignly between different social media platforms — and, on the whole, making us laugh. But in the shadier corners of the internet, like on the forum 4chan, memes can quickly mutate from jokes into more ambiguous, shocking and potentially harmful viral content.

That’s especially true of memes that call into question the efficacy and safety of vaccines — often termed “anti-vax” content.…

Read complete article

~	Chad: Authorities must investigate raid and killings at presidential contender’s house

~	Myanmar’s bloody Sunday sees highest death toll so far at hands of security forces

~	Nepal’s progressive COVID-19 vaccine campaign plagued by ‘infodemic’

~	How watching TV in lockdown can be good for you – according to science

~	Why breastfed babies have improved immune development – new findings

~	Traditional healers in South Africa are exposed to infection, but few can get protective gear

~	Small things can save lives: coping with COVID-19 in resource-scarce hospitals

~	Why fines and jail time won't change the behaviour of Ghana's minibus drivers

~	Why Tunisians are still out on the streets -- a decade after the 'Dignity Revolution'

~	Inside the Ocean 100 – small group of wealthy sea-based companies worth as much as Mexico