Análisis del contenido informativo sobre el Covid-19 a través del uso de memes que emplea El Comercio.

Abstract

Ecuador was one of the countries affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, whose government maintains restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus. In this context, the Internet and social networks became a representation space for reactions through the use of memes by citizens, including vaccination. This boom allowed the media, including the newspaper El Comercio, to use memes to find a way to connect with their audience. The objective of this study is to analyze the use of memes in El Comercio content on Covid-19 to learn how journalism involves satire in its publications. Twenty memes corresponding to three different samples and formats were analyzed, using a content analysis with descriptive elements applying the framing theory. Interviews with experts were also conducted to analyze the situation of memes in journalism. The results show that among the basic components of a meme in the journalistic field, simplicity plays a main role since the meme is easy to understand and remember by users. In addition, these memes comply with the exercise of informing through the use of satirical images as a new communication format, which constitutes an open line for their possible integration into journalism.