LANGUAGE GAME AND MEMES IN BLOGGER TEXTS: MEANS OF INFLUENCE ON THE AUDIENCE

Abstract

In modern digital discourse, blogging emerges as a unique communicative phenomenon that blends features of both spoken and written language, verbal and nonverbal means. One of the key tools bloggers use to influence their audiences is language play, which is often realized through internet memes–concise, ironic, and frequently visualized units with high communicative and emotional potential. This article investigates the functioning of language play and internet memes in bloggers’ texts, identifies their main types, methods of content integration, and the ways they impact the audience. By analyzing examples from the Ukrainian-speaking segments of YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, the author shows that memes and language play not only help capture and maintain audience attention but also shape a blogger’s communicative tone, support informal interaction, and activate both intercultural and intracultural codes. Special attention is paid to stylistic and pragmatic aspects of meme usage in blogging discourse. This study is of practical value for researchers in media linguistics, stylistics, as well as specialists in digital communication. In the digital age, blogging has evolved into an independent linguistic and social phenomenon that combines features of various communication modes. Blog discourse intertwines elements of spoken and written language while also relying heavily on multimodal resources – visuals, sound, and graphic elements. One of the most powerful tools bloggers employ to engage with their audience is language play, frequently expressed through internet memes.These brief, ironic, and often visually framed units possess high emotional, stylistic, and intertextual potential.Memes serve not only as entertainment but also as communicative, cultural, and stylistic instruments that help structure content, build rapport with followers, and maintain a casual, engaging atmosphere. This article explores the mechanisms of language play and meme usage in the content of Ukrainian-speaking bloggers across platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. It identifies the main types of memes, their functions, and methods of integration depending on genre, format, and audience.