Digital defiance. Memetic warfare and civic resistance

Munk, T ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2356-8806, 2025. Digital defiance. Memetic warfare and civic resistance. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research. ISSN 0928-1371

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Abstract

In the digital age, warfare has extended into the online realm, transforming the information sphere into a critical battlefield. Information warfare has become a crucial component of modern conflict, giving rise to diverse strategies and tactics. This article examines memetic warfare within the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, focusing on the battle for truth against Russian information pollution. Rooted in the Maskirovka strategy, Russia constructs false realities to mislead and manipulate audiences. In response, defensive memetic warfare has emerged, using memes infused with humour, sarcasm, and irony to sway public opinion, counter falsehoods, and promote media literacy. This study explores the role of the civic resistance group North Atlantic Fellas Organization, a decentralised movement, in combating pro-Russian narratives and targeting Russian information pollution. Through digital ethnographic research and contextual analysis, the study examines NAFO’s meme campaigns concerning significant issues indirectly affecting Ukraine, such as Russian propaganda, US President Trump, the US Republican party, and Russia’s network of allied states and actors.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research
Creators:	Munk, T.
Publisher:	Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date:	28 March 2025
ISSN:	0928-1371
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1007/s10610-025-09613-4 DOI 2420405 Other
Rights:	© The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Borcherds
Date Added:	02 Apr 2025 08:57
Last Modified:	02 Apr 2025 08:57
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/53348

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