🍔Theoretical Framework

To create an ontology for analyzing prospectivization through socio-political memes (SpoMePo), it is essential to understand the key components.

Looking at the work of Gangemi and Presutti, "Formal Representation and Extraction of Perspectives", we took into consideration the classes BackgroundKnowledge, Cut, Lens, Eventuality and Attitude. Subsequently, we expanded and adapted this model by integrating additional classes and specific subclasses to analyze memes.

Background Knowledge

In developing our ontology for analyzing sociopolitical memes, we have chosen to classify the background knowledge under the class Sociopolitical Phenomena. Sociopolitical Phenomena encompass a wide range of occurrences that explicitly involve social groups and political entities, such as political parties, politicians, and events with political implications or effects on social groups.

Eventuality

In the context of our ontology for analyzing political memes, we have classified Eventuality to capture the specific events or situations that memes perspectivize. Eventuality is subdivided into three key subclasses:

Social Group: This subclass includes any group of people that can be defined by shared characteristics like Fermales, Males, etc.

Political Activity: This subclass encompasses actions or events related to governance, policy-making, or political movements. Examples include elections, protests, legislative processes, and public debates.

Political Agent: This subclass identifies individuals or entities that play active roles in political spheres. It is divided into:

• Politician: This includes elected officials, candidates, and public figures involved in political leadership.

• Political Supporter: This includes citizens or groups that support specific political ideologies, parties, or politicians.

Cut

In the context of our ontology for analyzing political memes, we have chosen to classify Cut to capture the specific way an eventuality is perspectivized through a meme. Our Cut is composed of Sociopolitical Meme, which is further divided into several subclasses:

1. Controversial Statement Meme: These memes express a point of view that provokes doubts and debate about a particular topic or attacks a certain individuals or group in the sociopolitical landascape.

2. Mocking Juxtaposition Meme: These memes represent differences between groups or individuals in an openly mocking fashion, often diminishing one party while celebrating the other. They use humor and ridicule to highlight contrasts and critique certain behaviours or ideologies.

3. Neutral Political Classification Meme: These memes neutrally display differences, often stereotypical ones, among different groups.

4. Humorous Meme: Meme commenting on a sociopolitical eventuality in a humorous way, without adressing controversial topics.

5. Supportive Meme: These memes express support for someone or something in a particular circumstance. They are used to show solidarity, endorse political figures or policies, and rally support for specific causes or movements.

Fig.3: The left meme is a Mocking Juxtaposition Meme. It suggests that women would use a time machine for a simple, personal interaction, whereas men would use it for a grand, heroic act. This comparison plays on stereotypes about gender roles and interests, mocking the differences between men and women by diminishing women and celebrating men. The right meme is a Neutral Political Classification Meme as it makes irony about all kinds of women occupying a political spectrum. It represents the differences between various groups in a neutral way, often using stereotypes to highlight these differences without taking a clear position.

Attitude

In our ontology for analyzing sociopolitical memes, the concept of Attitude refers to the perspective of a conceptualizer towards an eventuality, shaped by the application of a lens. This classification helps us discern whether a meme aims to provoke, inform, or sway. Our Attitude classification is structured as follows:

Troll: Intent to annoy, offend, or elicit a strong reaction from others.

1. tNon-Opinionated: Attitude that produces an offensive comment about the topic without influencing opinions about it.

2. tOpinionated: Attitude that manipulates opinions by making an offensive comment that influences opinions about the topic.

Non-Troll: Intent to provide non-offensive or informative comments, with or without influencing opinions.

1. Non-Opinionated: Neutral or informative attitude without aiming to influence opinions.

2. Opinionated: Attitude that intends to influence opinions about the target individual or group without being offensive.

Lens

In the context of sociopolitical memes, our chosen lens is the Memetic Lens, which focuses on the meme schema used to create a meme. This lens allows us to examine how the structural elements of a meme, such as the template, captions, and graphic content, are employed to convey specific messages and attitudes. By applying the Memetic Lens, we can analyze the various ways memes simplify sociopolitical events.

Template and MediaFrame

These components include the Template, Media Frame composed by Caption, and Graphic Content. Each of these elements plays a crucial role in shaping how memes communicate their messages and influence public perception.

1. Template: Templates are multimedia structures associated with specific Media Frames. They generally consist of a predefined layout that includes Graphic Content and a space for Caption text. Templates provide a consistent format that can be customized with different captions, allowing for variations in the presentation of the same Media Frame.

2. Media Frame: A Media Frame is a multimedia object that represents a "memeable" situation, which is familiar both to the creator and the broader community. It provides the overall context and thematic foundation of the meme. The Media Frame is composed of two primary elements:

   • Caption: The Caption is the textual element within the Media Frame. It provides context, narrative, or commentary that complements the Graphic Content.

   • Graphic Content: The Graphic Content is the visual element within the Media Frame. It includes images, symbols, or videos that visually represent the thematic content of the meme.

Img.1: Elements that make up a meme

After this passage, we have categorized Templates into three distinct classes: Comparative Templates, Political Compass Templates and Political Image Macro Templates.

Fig.2: Four types of Templates.

1. Political Image Macro Templates leverage impactful images combined with space for caption text to convey political messages. An image macro is a piece of digital media featuring a picture, or artwork, with some form of text superimposed. The text frequently appears at the top and bottom of the image.

2. Comparative Templates are designed to compare two or more elements (rapresented graphically or textually in the mediaframe), often featuring a grid-like structure.

3. Political Compass Templates utilize a Cartesian graph to represent a sociopolitical domain, providing a structured framework for visualizing political stances and attitudes. This type of template typically features a two-dimensional grid with horizontal and vertical axes. The horizontal axis usually represents political stances, ranging from left to right. The vertical axis represents political attitudes, ranging from authoritarian to libertarian.

4. Change My Mind Templates is a template based on a viral image of commentator Steven Crowder sitting at a table with a sign that says "Change My Mind". Users edit the text on the sign to adapt it to different situations, creating a versatile format for expressing opinions and stimulating debate online.

Opinion

In our ontology for the analysis of sociopolitical memes, the class "Opinion" is subdivided into two main subclasses:"Uncontroversial Opinion" and "Controversial Opinion". The subclass "Uncontroversial Opinion" includes statements that are generally accepted and do not provoke significant debate, reflecting common and shared views. In contrast, the subclass "Controversial Opinion" collects statements that provoke doubts, discussions and conflicts on a specific topic, often polarizing public opinions.

Connotation

The class of Connotation is essential for understanding the messages conveyed through memes. Connotation refers to the idea suggested by a message in addition to its main meaning. We have identified several instances of connotation, which are grouped into Ironic, Motivational, Offensive, and Sarcastic.

• Ironic often highlights humoristic contradictions or unexpected outcomes in sociopolitical situations.

• Motivational aims to inspire or encourage action, often framing sociopolitical participation or viewpoints in a positive light.

• Offensive is used to provoke strong negative emotions or reactions, frequently targeting individuals or groups in a derogatory manner.

• Sarcastic employs sharp, cutting remarks to mock or ridicule sociopolitical events, figures, or ideologies.

This approach allows us to unpack the complex ways in which memes communicate beyond their explicit content, revealing the underlying attitudes and biases they convey.