Orthodox Memes between Digital Folklore and Propaganda: Identities, Ideologies and Lived Religiosity in Serbian Cyberspace

Abstract

This paper analyzes Orthodox internet memes as a contemporary form of digital folklore, preaching, and lived religion. Memes are examined as digital cultural artifacts that emerge within participatory online culture and function as a means of communication, identity negotiation, and the articulation of ideological positions. Special attention is given to religious memes as expressions of lay religiosity, as well as to their role as a space and medium for conflicts between ecclesiastical Orthodoxy, folk Orthodoxy, and critical attitudes toward religion and the Church. The memes were collected over a three-year period using a netnographic method, and the analysis employs visual social semiotics. Three types of Orthodox memes were identified: (1) retraditionalizing, dogmatic, and affirmative memes; (2) “folk” memes that humorously reflect elements of folk Orthodoxy and everyday religious practices; and (3) critical memes that problematize religion, ecclesiastical authorities, and the social role of religiosity. Particular attention is devoted to the analysis of the Orthodox Chad format as an example of an ideologically saturated memetic expression connected to broader global trends of right-wing populism, identity politics, and the crisis of masculinity. The paper concludes that Orthodox memes function not merely as entertaining content, but as significant semiotic and political resources through which religious and national identities are produced, normalized, and contested, making them an important source for understanding contemporary (digital) religiosity and cultural conflicts in Serbia.