Anatomy of social media humour in Ghana: a multimodal approach

This study examines the use of humour on Ghanaian social media through a multimodal lens, focusing on how content creators use different modes such as verbal and multimodal (images, memes, and cartoons) modes to engage the audience. Drawing on Kress and van Leeuwen’s Visual Grammar framework as well Attardo and Raskin’s General Theory of Verbal Humour, the analysis explores how humour is constructed and understood within the context of Ghanaian cultural and linguistic diversity. English dominates as the primary language of humorous posts, though code-switching, Pidgin and local languages are also employed. The study identified four different modes used for humour presentation - verbal, photographs, cartoons and memes with the verbal overshadowing the others. In addition, the study identified a generous employment of exaggeration, irony, metaphor and sarcasm use by humourists. The findings highlight how social media humour reflects societal norms, fosters engagement, and serves as a tool for social commentary and cultural expression.