Disinformation syndicates are increasingly using memes as a tactical shield to bypass digital fact-checkers. Because memes rely on satire, irony, and “floating signifiers,” automated algorithms struggle to classify them as strict misinformation. Consequently, dangerous political falsehoods remain online under the guise of “just a joke.”

The Bharat Media Association emphasizes that modern digital journalists must develop advanced semiotic skills to decode visual propaganda, ensuring that weaponized humor is not given a free pass to poison the democratic discourse.