The Value of Internet Memes as a Teaching Aid

The article is devoted to the use of Internet memes as a teaching method. At present, Internet memes are a continuously evolving social and cultural phenomenon. Internet meme is a complex unit consisting of verbal and non-verbal components, therefore, it seems possible to study Internet memes in terms of linguistics. Using Internet memes as a visualization tool in language learning is increasingly becoming more popular due to such processes as globalization and the widespread integration of modern communication means and Internet into everyday life. Thus, the relevance of the study lies in the fact that educational process needs modernization in accordance with current trends and interests of students. Modern students daily deal with Internet memes, which are one of the most popular types of entertaining content on the Internet and, in their turn, can be successfully used in the educational process. In the course of work various research methods were used, both theoretical (theoretical review on the given topic, synthesis, categorization) and practical (sampling, analysis, questionnaire). As a result, we developed a scheme for Internet memes analysis, conducted a linguistic analysis of the verbal component of Internet memes, and conducted a survey for students from linguistic departments of three universities. The survey showed that at least half of the students considered it possible to include Internet memes in the educational process. Based on this result, we developed sample exercises using Internet memes.