This thesis investigates Afrikaner digital satire on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) as a fixed
semiotic genre of cultural resistance. Drawing from semiotic, visual communication theory, and
participatory culture studies, the study explores how satire is constructed through layered visual,
linguistic, and symbolic performances—such as parody, irony, and absurdist delivery; and how
digital audiences actively co-create meaning. Focusing on user-generated skits and posts by
creators like @anton.taylor and @LeahJazzLive, the research analyzes recurring tropes including
rural nostalgia, whiteness, and post-apartheid identity politics. Cultural symbols such as the Hilux
bakkie, the South African rugby jersey, and nostalgic food items like “Drink-O-Pop” are
repurposed as icons of critique. The study finds that Afrikaner digital satire performs whiteness
ironically and parodically, through deadpan delivery, symbolic inversion, and exaggerated
dependency narratives. Audience response—particularly through emojis and comment chainsreveals
a participatory semiotic process in which viewers interpret, affirm, or challenge the
satirical message. Emojis like 😂🤣 (collective laughter) or 🫡🔥🇿🇦 (solidarity and national
pride) function as symbolic indicators of resonance and alignment, transforming comment
sections into affective extensions of the satire itself. Ultimately, this study demonstrates that
Afrikaner digital satire is not a fluid mode of storytelling but a formalized genre of symbolic
resistance; anchored in shared cultural memory, situated in postcolonial identity tensions, and
enacted through semiotic engagement in participatory digital spaces.