NATO defines memetic warfare as “the competition over narrative, ideas, and social control in a social-media battlefield.” In today’s increasingly digital world, controlling ideas matters as much as—or more than—physical conflict.
1. Insight #1: Different Meme Accounts for Different Strategies
The research tracked memes across three Ukrainian government accounts:
- @ukraine — official government account
- @defenceu — defense-focused account
- @uamemesforces — meme-specific account
Official accounts focus on Ukrainian pride and heroic narratives (“nation-branding”). Meme accounts take riskier approaches, portraying Putin as a villain and Russian forces as incompetent.
Practical application: Companies should create secondary meme accounts to test edgier content without risking brand reputation.
2. Insight #2: Powerful People Follow Meme Pages
Elon Musk famously tweeted: “Who controls the memes, controls the Universe.”
The research provides scholarly evidence that meme pages attract influential audiences, including “academics, journalists from leading publications, diplomats from a host of countries, communications advisers to world leaders and social media managers at multilateral institutions.”
- Chris Bakke (sold Laxie to Elon for $100M+) generated $3M+ in enterprise sales through memes
- Hebbia ($130M in funding) drives deals through meme pages—investment bank presidents contact them after seeing meme content
- 1up generated one-third of customer revenue through Instagram meme content focused on sales humor
3. Insight #3: Villain Narratives Drive Virality
Research shows memes featuring antagonists spread more effectively. Anger and conflict naturally amplify reach on social platforms. However, Levin recommends targeting faceless organizations (like Adobe or Canva) rather than individuals—this generates virality without causing personal harm or inviting retaliation.
4. Insight #4: Psychological Warfare vs. Memetic Warfare
Historical approach: Governments used one-way broadcast media (posters, radio) with word-of-mouth amplification.
Modern approach: Social media requires creators to persuade audiences to voluntarily share content. Memetic warfare transforms communication from “one-to-many” into “one-to-many-to-many-more.”
5. Key Takeaway
Whoever creates the most spreadable ideas wins. Controlling memes means controlling culture and narrative direction. “Who controls the memes controls the universe” isn’t a joke—it’s strategic reality in digital-first environments.