This work investigates how symbols of historical trauma from the Global South—specifically, the death flights carried out
by South American military dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s—have been appropriated, decontextualized, and globally circulated
as far-right memes. Drawing from the frameworks of critical data studies, postcolonial digital humanities, and global media
studies, the project explores how extrajudicial state violence is transformed into “humor” within alt-right internet cultures,
particularly on platforms such as 4chan.
Utilizing a mixed-methods approach that combines natural language processing, sentiment analysis, and computer vision with close readings of memes, the study traces how these violent historical symbols migrate from local memory to transnational meme culture. By analyzing over ten years of content from /pol/ (2013–2023), the research uncovers how death flight imagery has been commodified into products like t-shirts, board games, and online merchandise—often re-entering Latin America stripped of historical context and weaponized for political extremism.
This memetic transformation is not merely digital irony; it reflects broader patterns of digital coloniality, where the Global North absorbs, distorts, and resells symbols of southern trauma for ideological and commercial purposes. The paper argues for a critical digital humanities approach that foregrounds ethical memory work and transregional accountability in the study of memes and digital culture.
By centering the Global South as both the origin and a recurring site of memetic recirculation, this project contributes to current debates on multilingualism, cultural resistance, and the role of DH methods in exposing how digital platforms facilitate the erasure and exploitation of postcolonial histories. It also speaks to ongoing conversations about AI-driven content moderation, data ethics, and the responsibilities of researchers in confronting online extremism and historical distortion.
Utilizing a mixed-methods approach that combines natural language processing, sentiment analysis, and computer vision with close readings of memes, the study traces how these violent historical symbols migrate from local memory to transnational meme culture. By analyzing over ten years of content from /pol/ (2013–2023), the research uncovers how death flight imagery has been commodified into products like t-shirts, board games, and online merchandise—often re-entering Latin America stripped of historical context and weaponized for political extremism.
This memetic transformation is not merely digital irony; it reflects broader patterns of digital coloniality, where the Global North absorbs, distorts, and resells symbols of southern trauma for ideological and commercial purposes. The paper argues for a critical digital humanities approach that foregrounds ethical memory work and transregional accountability in the study of memes and digital culture.
By centering the Global South as both the origin and a recurring site of memetic recirculation, this project contributes to current debates on multilingualism, cultural resistance, and the role of DH methods in exposing how digital platforms facilitate the erasure and exploitation of postcolonial histories. It also speaks to ongoing conversations about AI-driven content moderation, data ethics, and the responsibilities of researchers in confronting online extremism and historical distortion.