Facetiae on Facebook – A Case Study

Abstract

Beyond being a tool for maintaining interpersonal contact, social media have now become a platform for the dissemination of literature, as well as a topic of literature itself. Among the class of texts that use new media not only as a vehicle for transmission but also as material and subject matter, the Facecje (Facetiae) page on Facebook, published since November 2012, cannot be overlooked. The site offers a kind of verbal-visual collages, which “rewrite” important historical events or literary works in the language of new media, using them as the substructure for cycles of comments (in graphics that perfectly duplicate the real Facebook interface) or text message dialogues. To interpret these facetiae, not only historical knowledge and competency are needed, but also knowledge of “cyber-writing” and awareness of the specific nature and context of the medium. Though positioned as satire, the humour of Facecje also conveys reflection on how social media function. The site also offers a more demanding alternative for internet users who are bored with the low level of many jokes circulating on the internet.