Humor in public communication

Abstract

Public institutions have used humor to communicate with the public on digital platforms, especially through memes. Pieces featuring extravagant imagery and informal language aim to draw attention to serious topics, such as financial education or import taxation. Despite their success in engagement and visibility, these strategies are criticized as superficial or inappropriate. This resistance reflects a historical bias against humor in the public sphere. However, digital humor ‒ such as memes and GIFs ‒ operates through a global language and demonstrates high communicative effectiveness. This study investigates the use of such resources by the Central Bank of Brazil on Instagram, assessing their legitimacy, limitations, and advantages. The article is grounded in a comparative case study that combines digital methods with interpretive analysis to reflect on the strategic uses of meme humor in public communication. The findings support the communicative effectiveness of humor, although its use must be accompanied by a critical perspective and careful attention to its appropriateness and acceptability among the general public.