All joking aside : how University students react differently to humorous and non-humorous political viral videos

Abstract

Political satire has a long and varied tradition, ranging from literature to visual arts. However, satirical videos, especially the kind that are disseminated and circulated on the internet, are a relatively new medium, especially in Malta. These videos have become more and more prominent with the rise of social networking sites that allow these videos to be viewed and shared with increasing ease. But do these videos serve another purpose, apart from making us all laugh? How influential are these videos in reality? This thesis aimed to find out whether political humour and satirical videos are more enjoyable to watch than 'serious' videos about current political issues, what kind of attitudes these videos foster towards the political figures that are being lampooned, and whether humorous or non-humorous videos produce better likeability ratings for the targets of the videos.