TRANSFORMATION OF UKRAINIAN HUMOROUS NARRATIVES DURING THE WAR (2022–2024)
Abstract
The aim is analyse the transformation of humorous narratives of Ukrainians during the war of 2022-2024, to determine their role in adaptation, changing public attitudes and thematic priorities during the prolonged crisis.
Research methodology. The study is based on two waves of online surveys (2022, 2024) distributed through social networks Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter). Participants were asked to answer an open-ended question: “Do you have a favorite joke? If so, which one/s?”. The answers were categorized into: consolidating, dividing, everyday and undefined jokes. These categories were developed based on Rod Martin's humor styles.
Results. In 2022, consolidating humor dominated (70.68%), playing a key role in uniting society, reducing fear,
and emphasizing national resilience through the mechanism of decatastrophizing. Memes about Chornobaivka, HIMARS, and a «Russian warship» emphasized the strength of Ukrainians and the ineptitude of the enemy. By 2024,
the share of consolidating jokes decreased to 9.21%, while everyday humor increased to 26.32%, demonstrating society's adaptation to the war and focus on everyday topics. The share of divisive jokes increased to 5.26%, indicating internal social tensions and criticism of internal groups such as the government or allies. Novelty. The study offers a new perspective on humor as a tool for adaptation to extreme conditions by applying the concepts of humor styles to the military context. The results reveal how humor changes functions from maintaining collective identity to focusing on everyday challenges and critical reflection.
Practical implications. The findings highlight humor as an effective mechanism of socio-cultural adaptation, a way of emotional relief and maintaining cohesion in times of crisis. These results are important for understanding the
dynamics of changes in public attitudes and can be used in studies of social adaptation, psychological resilience, and cultural narratives in crisis situations.
