Mimi Mihailescu
kagegirl.bsky.social
Mimi Mihailescu
@kagegirl.bsky.social
Meme-ologist | PhD Researcher at Bath University | Exploring the humorous, viral, and political world of memes | Digital culture & communication enthusiast
Reposted by Mimi Mihailescu
💻 The #DeadInternetTheory offers a disturbingly useful framework for understanding #DigitalPolitics.
🤖 @kagegirl.bsky.social argues that the theory's growing credibility masks deeper questions about whether we're overestimating #AI's political power.
👉 bit.ly/3JN0edQ
The 'Dead Internet Theory' and the rise of synthetic politics
The Dead Internet Theory, once dismissed as 'paranoid fantasy', now offers a disturbingly useful framework for understanding digital politics. Mimi Mihăilescu argues that the theory's growing credibil...
bit.ly
November 11, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Ever feel like politics online is… off?
Like everyone’s debating, but no one’s actually there?

New piece for @ecprtheloop.bsky.social on the Dead Internet Theory and how we might be building a simulation of democracy itself.

🔗 theloop.ecpr.eu/the-dead-int...

#DeadInternet #academicsky #democracy
The 'Dead Internet Theory' and the rise of synthetic politics
The Dead Internet Theory, once dismissed as 'paranoid fantasy', now offers a disturbingly useful framework for understanding digital politics. Mimi Mihăilescu argues that the theory's growing credibil...
theloop.ecpr.eu
November 11, 2025 at 10:47 AM
🎓 My PhD thesis is ready to read!

Years of research distilled into one thesis that argues we should take meme pages way more seriously than we do.

Turns out your doomscroll is actually reshaping democracy.

📖 researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/studentTh...

#academicsky #phd #meme #research
Pixels, people, places: Content framing, creator influence, and cultural gatekeeping - or why you should probably take that meme page more seriously
researchportal.bath.ac.uk
November 6, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Reposted by Mimi Mihailescu
The engraved bullets that killed #CharlieKirk were content designed to go viral. @kagegirl.bsky.social argues this represents a trajectory first made explicit in the 2019 #ChristchurchMassacre: not ideological terror, but performance-art #Terrorism optimised for algorithmic engagement
bit.ly/3IHWBpb
Performative violence: Charlie Kirk and the meme-ification of terror
The engraved bullets that killed Charlie Kirk in September 2025 were not simply evidence; they were content designed for viral circulation. Mimi Mihăilescu argues that this represents a trajectory fir...
bit.ly
October 13, 2025 at 7:40 AM
New article on @ecprtheloop.bsky.social: How Charlie Kirk’s murder reveals the terrifying intersection of meme culture and political violence. When terror becomes content optimised for engagement, what’s left of democracy?

theloop.ecpr.eu/performative...

#academicsky #meme #violence #CharlieKirk
Performative violence: Charlie Kirk and the meme-ification of terror
The engraved bullets that killed Charlie Kirk in September 2025 were not simply evidence; they were content designed for viral circulation. Mimi Mihăilescu argues that this represents a trajectory fir...
theloop.ecpr.eu
October 13, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Reposted by Mimi Mihailescu
🤺 The once steady alliance between Trump and Musk has now become a bitter feud.
📺 @kagegirl.bsky.social argues that #AmericanDemocracy is crumbling into a grotesque theatre where the world's most powerful men treat governance like a reality show. #USpolitics
👉 buff.ly/AvqKwkz
The reality show republic: the Trump-Musk ego war
The once steady alliance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has now become a bitter feud. It has transformed what should be serious political discourse into a social media spectacle that perfectly…
buff.ly
July 29, 2025 at 9:32 AM
🎓 Just defended and got awarded my PhD thesis on #memes

Huge thanks to @iuliacioroianu.bsky.social, @aurelmondon.bsky.social & @hildecoffe.bsky.social for supporting my deep dive into meme maddens.

And to @uniofbath.bsky.social for letting me do this #research!

#PhD #Viva #PhDone #AcademicSky
July 8, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Reposted by Mimi Mihailescu
On 31 May, Romanian reality star #TeodoraMarcu was shot dead by her former partner. 🪧 Thousands protested, but the state was silent.  
@kagegirl.bsky.social argues Romania’s democracy must confront the systems that render women's deaths politically acceptable.
👉 bit.ly/4exx9xN
Romania's misogynist political apparatus
In May, Romanian reality star Teodora Marcu was shot dead by her former partner. Thousands marched in protest, but the state remained silent. Mimi Mihăilescu argues that Romania’s democracy, which has...
bit.ly
July 3, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Romanian politics has never protected women. It silences them, sidelines them, and only reacts after tragedy. The 2025 protests demand a reckoning.

My latest for @ecprtheloop.bsky.social 👇

theloop.ecpr.eu/romanias-sys...

#Romania #Protest #Feminism #Democracy #AcademicSky
Romania's misogynist political apparatus
In May, Romanian reality star Teodora Marcu was shot dead by her former partner. Thousands marched in protest, but the state remained silent. Mimi Mihăilescu argues that Romania’s democracy, which has...
theloop.ecpr.eu
July 3, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Reposted by Mimi Mihailescu
👏 Congratulations to @kagegirl.bsky.social who made the Loop Best Blog 2024 shortlist for their article 'How Călin Georgescu's TikTok tactics rewired Romanian politics'.
#Romania #CalinGeorgescu
➡️ ow.ly/lVq250W3kJp
How Călin Georgescu's TikTok tactics rewired Romanian politics
In an unexpected twist to Romania’s 2024 presidential election, Călin Georgescu, virtually unknown a year ago, has emerged as a serious contender. Georgescu's ascent has been marked by antisemitic rhe...
ow.ly
June 16, 2025 at 9:47 AM
🇷🇴 Romania's 2025 elections: Expertise rebranded as a Trojan horse

Politicians convinced voters that knowledge = foreign invasion. How did we get here? My analysis for @ecprtheloop.bsky.social‬ ⬇️

theloop.ecpr.eu/romanias-202...

#Romania #Elections #NicușorDan #GeorgeSimion #academicsky
Romania’s 2025 elections and the allure of anti-intellectualism
In Romania's 2025 presidential election, far-right political actors portrayed intellectuals as not just ineffective, but as a threat to Romanian values. Mimi Mihăilescu reveals how their rhetoric, whi...
theloop.ecpr.eu
May 22, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Reposted by Mimi Mihailescu
🗳️ In the #RomanianElection, far-right politicians portrayed intellectuals as not just ineffective, but as a threat to Romanian values.
🗣️ @kagegirl.bsky.social‬ reveals how their rhetoric is winning votes and reshaping how an entire country determines what is true.
👉 bit.ly/45nd4Yy
Romania’s 2025 elections and the allure of anti-intellectualism
In Romania's 2025 presidential election, far-right political actors portrayed intellectuals as not just ineffective, but as a threat to Romanian values. Mimi Mihăilescu reveals how their rhetoric, whi...
bit.ly
May 22, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Romania’s diaspora: sleeping giant or mirror to our political failures? My latest for @e-international.bsky.social on how expats are reshaping Romanian politics. The myth of a uniformly liberal diaspora is over.

Read here: www.e-ir.info/2025/05/11/t...

#Romania #Diaspora #Politics #academicsky
The Diaspora Paradox and the Transformation of Expatriate Politics
Is Romania’s diaspora the sleeping giant we refuse to understand, or a mirror reflecting our political failures?
www.e-ir.info
May 12, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Just submitted my #PhD thesis 🎓💀

Proof that with enough ☕ + 😵‍💫, you can turn shitposting into scholarship 💻📚✨

Pray for my examiners 🙏 They have to read it unironically

#PhDLife #MemeWarfare #ThesisSubmitted
May 5, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Presented my Very Serious Academic Paper™ on #meme communities as digital third places- aka how #shitposting builds community.Yes, the infamous red cap also made a cameo!

The other #research I got to see? Chef’s kiss.

Big thanks to @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social + @techpolicy.bsky.social #PSA25
April 15, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Reposted by Mimi Mihailescu
It's Disinformation and Memes time. So far we've heard about Romanian meme communities, and how we can inoculate against deep fake Images!

#psa25 #commsky @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social
April 14, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Spoke on the “PhDs for PhDs” panel at the @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social Early Career Network pre-conference today. Grateful to share a bit of the messy magic that is the #PhD journey.

Even more hyped to present my own research on meme communities and third places tomorrow at #PSA25.
April 13, 2025 at 9:41 PM
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but in #Romania, #protest visuals tell entire novels. 🇷🇴📸

When both sides demand change, but in opposite directions, whose future gets written? Read my latest for @ecprtheloop.bsky.social

🔗 theloop.ecpr.eu/seeing-is-be...

#academicsky #politics
Seeing is believing: how protest visuals are rewriting Romania’s future
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but protest visuals, especially during political upheaval, read like novels. Mimi Mihăilescu shows how visuals aren't just for documentation – they persuade, p...
theloop.ecpr.eu
April 3, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Reposted by Mimi Mihailescu
🖼️ A picture's worth a thousand words, but protest visuals read like novels.
🪧@kagegirl.bsky.social shows how visuals aren't just documentation, but shape public opinion.
🚨In Romania, where 2 protest factions are currently clashing, visuals are on the frontline of political warfare
bit.ly/44cKGI3
Seeing is believing: how protest visuals are rewriting Romania’s future
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but protest visuals, especially during political upheaval, read like novels. Mimi Mihăilescu shows how visuals aren't just for documentation – they persuade, p...
bit.ly
April 3, 2025 at 8:12 AM
🚨 Dark MAGA isn’t just a hat - it’s an aesthetic, a vibe, and a meme-fuelled political subculture.

I spoke with @wsj.com about how this edgier, fashwave-inspired movement and why even #Musk is in on the trend.
📰 Read more: wsj.com/style/fashion/elon-musk-dark-maga-hat-cap-gothic-trump-81e963cf
How Elon Musk Gave MAGA a Dark, Gothic Makeover
The billionaire CEO’s army of acolytes wears black caps, jeans and slogan T-shirts.
wsj.com
March 31, 2025 at 12:43 PM
JD Vance isn’t just a politician. He’s a #meme in motion. His image, warped by #Democrats and #Republicans alike, isn’t about policy but the power of #memes to redefine political reality.

Read my latest #blog 👉 shorturl.at/Uhche #JDVance #US #Politics #AcademicSky
JD Vance: The Man, The Meme, The Bipartisan Paradox
Vance’s case represents the transformation of politics into a spectacle where engagement is measured not by votes, but by clicks, shares, and digital distortions.
shorturl.at
March 18, 2025 at 2:20 PM
🚨 Conspiracy strikes again! 🚨
I spoke to @erin-hale.bsky.social sky.social for @aljazeera.com about how MAGA supporters see everything as part of a grand plot as #Trump “cleans house.” Their proof? Google searches. No, really.
Read more: www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/...
Why are MAGA followers claiming Google is exposing crimes by the DC elite?
Trump supporters are seizing on Google searches to claim Washington elites are fearful of being exposed for crimes.
www.aljazeera.com
March 7, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Mimi Mihailescu
✅ Elon Musk has endorsed Călin Georgescu as Romania's next president.
🗳️ In a world where tech billionaires and populists are manipulating elections in the name of 'democracy', @kagegirl.bsky.social shows how Musk has succeeded in weaponising Romania's sovereignty.
➡️ bit.ly/4ksTm2T
Elon Musk, Călin Georgescu and the Soros spectacle
Elon Musk has endorsed Călin Georgescu as Romania's next president. But what happens when a tech billionaire and a far-right Romanian politician collide? A political firestorm. In a world where billio...
bit.ly
March 4, 2025 at 9:20 AM