‘<i>No work, No pay</i>’: A multimodal discourse analysis of selected online images on industrial actions by Nigerian public universities

Abstract

This study investigates the social semiotics of online images on selected social media platforms, newspaper websites and other internet sites to explore the meaning-making resources used to visualise the 2022 Academic Staff Union of Universities’ strike in Nigeria. Using a multimodal discourse analytic approach, this study conducts qualitative data analysis of 50 purposively selected online images (cartoons and memes) to uncover their underlying themes and discursive strategies. The analysis reveals that the images predominantly depict students as victims of the strike, the government as perpetrators and the Academic Staff Union of Universities as victims and instigators. These depictions highlight the victimisation of Nigerian students while emphasising the negative other-representation of both the government and the union. Through this examination, the paper contributes to current research on cartoons and the broader academic field of memes as tools of dissent by offering valuable insights into how online images convey dissenting messages and engage with socio-political issues within the context of Nigerian public universities’ industrial actions.