THE SINGAPOREAN IDENTITY IN SOCIAL MEDIA MEMES: A CASE STUDY OF SGAG

Abstract

This study explores the discursive construction of Singaporean identity through Facebook memes. SGAG, a Facebook page that is hugely popular amongst locals due to its employment of “Singaporean humour”, was examined as a sample site where memes are used in the discursive construction of national identity. It employs Wodak and Reisigl’s (2009) discourse-historical approach of Critical Discourse Analysis and conducts a multimodal analysis on SGAG’s memes to discover how linguistic and visual devices were employed to advance certain ideological beliefs, values, and goals. It was discovered that social media memes contribute to constructing a shared sense of culture, sociopolitical present and future, as well as political past, assigning a depth of significance to what it means to be Singaporean. They were found to perpetuate distinctions between men and women; locals and foreigners; the ruling elite and the laypeople. Populist discourse that breeds dissatisfaction and disillusionment towards the government was enabled, but only to the effect of resigned suffering rather than the active pursuit of change. On the other hand, they also had subversive effects as well, enabling the empowerment of minority groups and those that have suffered injustice in Singapore’s society