{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T09:44:28Z","timestamp":1777455868560,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,1]],"date-time":"2023-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1672531200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000267","name":"Arts and Humanities Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Political Ideology, Rhetoric and Aesthetics in the"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Political Ideology, Rhetoric and Aesthetics in the"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000267","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Big Data &amp; Society"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The acronym \u2018NPC\u2019 originates from videogame culture, where it refers to computer-controlled drones whose behaviour is dictated by their programming. By 2018 the term had gained traction within right-wing subcultural spaces as shorthand for individuals apparently incapable of thinking for themselves. By the autumn of 2018, these spaces were awash with NPC memes accusing liberals and leftists of uncritically accepting progressive doxa and parroting left-wing catchphrases. In mid-October, with midterm elections looming in the US, Twitter banned over 1000 NPC roleplay accounts created by supporters of Donald Trump, citing concerns over disinformation. This event was much discussed both within right-wing subcultural spaces and by mainstream media outlets, serving as an occasion to reassess the political effects of digital media in general and reactionary memes in particular. Here we use a combination of computational analysis and theoretically informed close reading to trace the NPC meme's trajectory and explore its role in entrenching affectively charged political and (sub)cultural faultlines. We show how mainstream attention at once amplified the meme and attenuated its affective resonance in the subcultural spaces where it originated. We also contend that while the NPC meme has served as a vehicle for antidemocratic bigotry, it may yet harbour critical potential, providing a vocabulary for theorising the cultural and political impacts of communicative capitalism.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/20539517231172422","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,16]],"date-time":"2023-05-16T18:50:36Z","timestamp":1684263036000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["The politics of the NPC meme: Reactionary subcultural practice and vernacular theory"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2096-3889","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rob","family":"Gallagher","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of English, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9795-3999","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robert","family":"Topinka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Film, Media and Cultural Studies, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-20539517231172422","unstructured":"Alexander J (2018) The NPC meme went viral when the media gave it oxygen.\n                      The Verge\n                      , 23 October. Available at: https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2018\/10\/23\/17991274\/npc-meme-4chan-press-coverage-viral (accessed 31 January 2022)."},{"key":"bibr2-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/ct\/qtaa008"},{"key":"bibr3-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/oso\/9780190877583.003.0014"},{"key":"bibr4-20539517231172422","unstructured":"Bell C (2018) Why has Twitter banned 1500 accounts and what are NPCs? In:\n                      BBC News\n                      . Available at: https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/blogs-trending-45888176 (accessed 15 April 2021)."},{"key":"bibr5-20539517231172422","volume-title":"Laughter","author":"Bergson H","year":"1914"},{"key":"bibr6-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/689666"},{"key":"bibr7-20539517231172422","unstructured":"boyd d, Golebiewski M (2019)\n                      Data voids: Where missing data can easily be exploited\n                      . Report for Data & Society. Available at: https:\/\/datasociety.net\/library\/data-voids\/ (accessed 17 January 2022)."},{"key":"bibr8-20539517231172422","first-page":"215","volume-title":"Rise of the Far Right: Technologies of Recruitment and Mobilization","author":"Brett N","year":"2021"},{"key":"bibr9-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/22041451.2016.1155338"},{"key":"bibr10-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7551\/mitpress\/14050.001.0001"},{"key":"bibr11-20539517231172422","volume":"10","author":"Dafaure M","year":"2020","journal-title":"Angles"},{"key":"bibr12-20539517231172422","unstructured":"D\u2019Anastasio C (2018) How the \u201cNPC\u201d meme tries to dehumanize \u201cSJWs.\u201d In:\n                      Kotaku\n                      . Available at: https:\/\/kotaku.com\/how-the-npc-meme-tries-to-dehumanize-sjws-1829552261 (accessed 12 July 2022)."},{"key":"bibr13-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1215\/9780822390923"},{"key":"bibr14-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"237","DOI":"10.5771\/9781786614933","volume-title":"Rise of the Far Right: Technologies of Recruitment and Mobilization","author":"Devries M","year":"2021"},{"issue":"11","key":"bibr15-20539517231172422","volume":"25","author":"de Zeeuw D","year":"2020","journal-title":"First Monday"},{"key":"bibr16-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1215\/17432197-8233406"},{"key":"bibr17-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0163443719831598"},{"key":"bibr18-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-030-88338-6_17"},{"key":"bibr19-20539517231172422","volume-title":"Subculture: The Meaning of Style","author":"Hebdige D"},{"key":"bibr20-20539517231172422","unstructured":"Hurlburt R (2011) Not everyone conducts inner speech. 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Available at: https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/gb\/blog\/pristine-inner-experience\/201110\/not-everyone-conducts-inner-speech (accessed 27 January 2022)."},{"key":"bibr21-20539517231172422","volume-title":"Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture","author":"Jenkins H","year":"2013"},{"key":"bibr22-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/1369118X.2017.1291702"},{"key":"bibr23-20539517231172422","volume-title":"Aesthetic Theory and the Video Game","author":"Kirkpatrick G","year":"2011"},{"key":"bibr24-20539517231172422","first-page":"147","volume":"20","author":"Levi L","year":"2022","journal-title":"First Amendment Law Review"},{"key":"bibr25-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1527476419879919"},{"key":"bibr26-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/20563051211008821"},{"key":"bibr27-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/1369118X.2017.1366540"},{"key":"bibr28-20539517231172422","volume-title":"Social Media Abyss: Critical Internet Cultures and the Force of Negation","author":"Lovink G","year":"2016"},{"key":"bibr29-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1177\/2053951716670190","volume":"3","author":"Marciniak D","year":"2016","journal-title":"Big Data & Society"},{"key":"bibr30-20539517231172422","unstructured":"Markbreiter C (2019) Can\u2019t take a joke: An interview with Lauren Berlant. In:\n                      The New Inquiry\n                      , 22 March 2019. Available at: https:\/\/thenewinquiry.com\/cant-take-a-joke\/ (accessed 29 January 2022)."},{"key":"bibr31-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.17351\/ests2018.188"},{"key":"bibr32-20539517231172422","unstructured":"Martin T (2017) Dissecting Trump\u2019s most rabid online following. In:\n                      FiveThirtyEight\n                      , 23 March 2017. Available at: https:\/\/fivethirtyeight.com\/features\/dissecting-trumps-most-rabid-online-following\/ (accessed 31 January 2022)."},{"key":"bibr33-20539517231172422","volume-title":"Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity and Branding in the Social Media Age","author":"Marwick AE","year":"2013"},{"key":"bibr34-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1461444815608807"},{"key":"bibr35-20539517231172422","volume":"19","author":"Miltner KM","year":"2014","journal-title":"First Monday"},{"key":"bibr36-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/2053951718772137"},{"key":"bibr37-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/2053951715599179"},{"key":"bibr38-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/1369118X.2018.1486871"},{"key":"bibr39-20539517231172422","unstructured":"Peeters S, Hagen S (2021) 4CAT Capture and Analysis Toolkit (v1.18). Zenodo. 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Available at: https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/16\/us\/politics\/npc-twitter-ban.html (accessed 12 July 2022)."},{"key":"bibr43-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1741659017690893"},{"key":"bibr44-20539517231172422","volume-title":"A Sleepwalker\u2019s Guide to Social Media","author":"Sampson T","year":"2020"},{"key":"bibr45-20539517231172422","unstructured":"Scheuble S, Oezmen F (2022)\n                      Extremists\u2019 targeting of young women on social media and lessons for preventing and countering violent extremism\n                      . Report for the European Commission Radicalisation Awareness Network. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union."},{"issue":"1","key":"bibr46-20539517231172422","volume":"20","author":"Schoppmeier S","year":"2019","journal-title":"COPAS"},{"key":"bibr47-20539517231172422","volume-title":"Memes in Digital Culture","author":"Shifman L","year":"2014"},{"key":"bibr48-20539517231172422","first-page":"22","volume-title":"Memenesia","author":"Sinders C","year":"2021"},{"issue":"2","key":"bibr49-20539517231172422","volume":"4","author":"Topinka R","year":"2019","journal-title":"b2o"},{"key":"bibr50-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1461444819888746"},{"key":"bibr51-20539517231172422","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/02632764211070962"}],"container-title":["Big Data &amp; Society"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/20539517231172422","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/20539517231172422","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/20539517231172422","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T13:00:25Z","timestamp":1777381225000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/20539517231172422"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,1]]},"references-count":51,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/20539517231172422"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/20539517231172422","relation":{},"ISSN":["2053-9517","2053-9517"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2053-9517","type":"print"},{"value":"2053-9517","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,1]]},"article-number":"20539517231172422"}}