인터넷 밈을 통해 본 모로코 청년세대의 정체성과디지털 행동주의: ‘GenZ 212’ 사례를 중심으로 = Identity and Digital Activism of Moroccan Youth Through Internet Memes: Focusing on the Case of ‘GenZ 212’

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study examines how internet memes facilitate political identity formation and digital activism among Moroccan youth under authoritarian governance, analyzing the 2025 “GenZ 212” movement through systematic analysis of 541 memes collected from TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Discord. Integrating Dawkins’ meme theory with Castells’ network society framework, the research employs thematic coding, critical discourse analysis, and network analysis with verified inter-rater reliability (Cohen’s Kappa=0.80). The findings reveal that memes performed four interconnected functions: satire and mockery (37.5%), identity expression (32.9%), information transmission (17.9%), and mobilization (11.6%), predominantly addressing government policy criticism (34.6%), youth identity articulation (28.8%), and inequality denunciation (18.1%). Approximately 68 percent of analyzed memes simultaneously expressed national, generational, and regional identities, demonstrating how digital platforms enable negotiation of multiple subject positions. Most significantly, the study documents successful online-to-offline activist conversion, with 72.3 percent of street protest participants obtaining mobilization information through digital platforms. The analysis reveals platform-specific divisions wherein TikTok and Instagram enabled viral dissemination, Facebook facilitated political discourse, and Discord provided organizational infrastructure. Under conditions of restricted democratic communication, memes function as structured instruments of political resistance, enabling youth to translate cultural creativity into substantive political action. These findings underscore the necessity for democratic governance frameworks permitting genuine civic dialogue and comprehensive youth policy reforms addressing socioeconomic grievances.