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De-contextualisation fuels controversy: the double-edged sword of humour in a hybrid media environment
Mid Sweden University, Faculty of Science, Technology and Media, Department of Media and Communication Science.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3015-7423
2021 (English)In: The European Journal of Humour Research, Vol. 9, no 3, p. 49-64Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Humour has a unique way of delineating social boundaries, and comedy can function as a double-edged sword; it can strengthen bonds and bring people together, or divide through provocation and violation of social norms. As a consequence, humour controversies are telling events that contain the possibility of highlighting cultural and political sensibilities—even more in the current political landscape, with increasing media fragmentation. This study analysed four humour functions through the theoretical lens of media framing, via three cases of humorous content that caused controversies in the Swedish news media. These cases were one divisive radio roast of a politician, one TV satire segment that was received as racist, and one audio podcast with young women who challenged a Swedish political consensus climate. Framing is the power of media to select and highlight certain aspects of issues, and by extension, shape public opinion. By subjecting the media coverage of these three controversies to a qualitative content analysis, the framing was examined and discussed in the light of four humour functions: identification, clarification, enforcement, and differentiation (Meyer 2000). Furthermore, the study examined the media context and the role it played in the framing of the controversies. One main finding was that the most uniting humour function of identification could be transformed into the most dividing humour function of differentiation through a shift in media context.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2021. Vol. 9, no 3, p. 49-64
Keywords [en]
political comedy, humour functions, framing, humour scandals, contextualisation
National Category
Media and Communications
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-42999DOI: 10.7592/EJHR2021.9.3.523Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85120060046OAI: oai:DiVA.org:miun-42999DiVA, id: diva2:1593174
Available from: 2021-09-10 Created: 2021-09-10 Last updated: 2025-02-07
In thesis
1. Jester, journalist, or just jerk? The roles of political comedians in societal debate
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Jester, journalist, or just jerk? The roles of political comedians in societal debate
2021 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Where does the political comedian fit on the spectrum of societal debate? Comedy has gained legitimacy in academia in recent decades as a non-serious communication form worth taking seriously. But in the personalized, high-choice hybrid media landscape, what roles do comedians inhabit? This dissertation explores this topic via five studies detailed in articles produced for publication in scientific journals. The articles employ frameworks such as humor functions, role conceptions, media framing, boundary work, non-deliberative media discourse, and moral theory, and utilize qualitative content analysis, quantitative content analysis, and qualitative interviews, to investigate empirical examples collected from Swedish and Finnish contexts. The dissertation also includes an introductory chapter that summarizes and discusses the results of the five studies and presents the empirical and theoretical contributions of the dissertation. 

Several roles of political comedians are introduced, based on political intent and their tendency to challenge norms, where the main ones have been established as Unifier, Advocate, Entertainer, Explainer, Provocateur, Questioner, and Eye-opener. The roles should be seen as role performance elements that are somewhat fluid and contextual. In addition, three role clusters, or broad comedic dispositions, are discussed. The first is the jester-type comedian, represented by the Entertainer, the Unifier, and the Advocate. These comedians are practitioners of a more benign, light-hearted form of political comedy, and they focus on creating mirth and social bonding. 

The genre of journalistic news satire is defined and explored as the second role cluster, and the genre is represented by the Unifier, who aims to connect people in laughter, the Explainer, who wants to explain complex news issues from a specific point of view, and the Questioner, who audits power and challenges groupthink. Finally, the third role cluster is personified by the troublemaker or jerk, who either enjoys being a Provocateur simply for provocation itself, takes on the role of persistent Questioner, or, if the political intent is stronger, embodies the Eye-opener, aspiring to influence the audience to see things differently.

Contexts, implications, and limitations are discussed.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sundsvall: Mid Sweden University, 2021. p. 34
Series
Mid Sweden University doctoral thesis, ISSN 1652-893X ; 350
Keywords
Political comedy, satire, role conceptions, framing, humor studies, entertainment
National Category
Media and Communications
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-43001 (URN)978-91-89341-22-7 (ISBN)
Public defence
2021-10-08, C312, Holmgatan 10, Sundsvall, 10:00 (English)
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Supervisors
Available from: 2021-09-13 Created: 2021-09-10 Last updated: 2025-02-07Bibliographically approved

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Ödmark, Sara

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