Technical Communication Quarterly Apr 2025

A Memetic Pandemic: COVID-19 Memes As Tactical Risk Communication

Derek M. Sparby Illinois State University

Abstract

Tactical risk memes operated outside institutions like the World Health Organization (WHO) and CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) to tactically sharing important risk and crisis communication. They made us laugh but also gave us instructions for how to stay safe during a global pandemic. This article examines tactical risk memes and provides implications for future public health crises, arguing for the importance and relevance of memes as a form of technical communication.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2025-04-03
DOI
10.1080/10572252.2024.2352106
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
technical communication
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. Brooks et al. (2026)
    Tactical Technical Communication as Expert Communication: Strategic Ethos in Co…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Kenzie et al. (2025)
    Don’t Read the Comments: Discourse About COVID-19 Vaccines in a State Health De…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

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CrossRef global citation count: 3 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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