Pixels, people, places: Content framing, creator influence, and cultural gatekeeping - or why you should probably take that meme page more seriously

Abstract

The thesis examines memes, meme creators, and meme communities as emerging cultural and political actors in the Romanian digital media landscape. The findings argue that Romanian meme culture occupies a meaningful gatekeeping role: curating communities, shaping public discourse, and challenging the framing power of mainstream media and political elites. The thesis ultimately makes the case that internet meme culture deserves serious academic and public attention as a form of grassroots media with real consequences for democratic engagement.

Date of Award	8 Oct 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Iulia Cioroianu (Supervisor), Hilde Coffe (Supervisor) & Aurelien Mondon (Supervisor)