Brazilians are challenging Bolsonaro’s government using memes

In Brazil, memes are akin to a second language: The humorous and sociable traits of Brazilian culture flow especially smoothly into the digital environment. In recent years, private and public institutions, including universities and government agencies, have adopted memes as a form of communication. Memes also helped bring President Jair Bolsonaro to power. The mass circulation of populist memes from Bolsonaro and his supporters, especially on WhatsApp and Twitter, helped shape a favorable image of the candidate during the 2018 presidential elections and paved the way for his ascension. But now, as Brazil sinks deeper into multiple crises, politicized memes are being turned against the president.