Pandemic parodies

This study explores the role of intertextuality in shaping humorous responses to the COVID-19 pandemic on Twitter/X. Through an analysis of a corpus of 381 English-language posts from 2020-2021 tagged with leading COVID-19 humour hashtags, 72 posts were identified as containing intertextual references. These draw from diverse domains, including religion, culture, cinema, television shows, songs, popular icons, literature, sports, and history, to frame the pandemic through relatable narratives. By intertwining these varied elements, the posts present individual perspectives and reveal broader societal attitudes and concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Posters employ these references to entertain, express anxiety, critique authority, and foster solidarity. Parody, in particular, through imitation and exaggeration of the intertextual elements, comments on pandemic-related experiences. The findings reveal that intertextual humour functioned not only as entertainment but also as a means of cultural reflection during a time of global crisis.