Open AccessInternet Jokes: The Secret Agents of Globalization?
Author(s) -
Shifman Limor,
Levy Hadar,
Thelwall Mike
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of computer‐mediated communication
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.15
H-Index - 119
ISSN - 1083-6101
DOI - 10.1111/jcc4.12082
Subject(s) - joke , americanization , globalization , the internet , sociology , media studies , advertising , literature , political science , computer science , world wide web , art , law , business
In this article, we use the somewhat unusual lens of joke translation to examine the process of "user‐generated globalization" – cross‐national diffusion of content by Internet users. We tracked the translations of 100 popular jokes in English into 9 languages and analyzed them quantitatively and qualitatively. Our findings indicate that (1) web‐based diffusion of translated jokes is common but varies greatly, both between languages and between jokes; (2) "global hits" differ from "translation‐resistant" jokes in their themes and incorporation of American markers; and (3) translated joke versions tend to include only minor cultural alternations (such as name shifting), thereby preserving the original messages. Overall, these findings suggest that Internet jokes serve as powerful (albeit often invisible) agents of globalization and Americanization .