Unmasking Digital Prejudice: A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis of Racial, Gender and Ideological Violence in Memes Targeting Kamala Harris’ Speeches

Abstract

This research aims to find instances of racial and gender prejudice in memes that portray Harris' speeches. This study analyzes the role of memes depicting the political speeches of Kamala Harris as instruments for propagating and legitimizing destructive ideologies such as racial discrimination, gender bias, cultural stereotyping, and symbolic violence. The dataset consists of 9 internet memes that will be purposively sampled. This study employs a qualitative method, utilizing the Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) framework by Kress and Leeuwen (2006), to investigate how political memes shape gender and racial narratives about Kamala Harris. MCDA enables the examination of how combining text, images, typography, layout, and rhetorical techniques, including humour, pathos, and irony creates meaning. Between 2021 and 2024, 9 memes were carefully chosen from YouTube Reels, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, emphasizing material that alludes to Harris’ political persona and public statements. The findings reveal that memes often destabilize Harris' political identity by mocking her authority, reinforcing stereotypes, and distorting her public image. These strategies also demonstrate how digital discourse can perpetuate exclusionary narratives about race, gender, and power. Future research should explore meme discourses, intersectional policy-making, and the effects of digital stereotyping. Educational systems should incorporate media literacy training, social media platforms should adopt ethical standards, culturally aware AI systems should be developed, and counter-narratives that empower meme creators should be promoted to foster a more inclusive digital media ecology.