Article in Press
This article is currently in the Just Accepted phase. The final published version may have formatting changes or additional corrections.
Abstract
The present study sought to explore the various modes of communication comedians utilize in digital advertisements. As development in technology surges and internet use increases, so is the potential of social media as an advertising channel. In the era of digital media, advertisers popularize their products via social networking sites or other digital platforms that are regarded as high traffic attractors. Normally, such advertisements of merchandise on social networking sites target a particular group of people.Moreover,the growing notability of influencers is reshaping the media sector for they have disrupted the advertising sector.In this regard, the role of celebrities continues to be acknowledged and scrutinized for excellence and creativity of comedians, cartoonists, etc. have inspired many people, apart from creating laughter, opportunities and wealth. Despite this, little has been done in relation to examining the techniques employed by comedians in a rapidly digitalizing ecosystem or inspiration behind their rich ideas. Concerning this, thecurrent study focused on Eric Omondi’s online videos. Eric Omondi is among the leading comedians in Kenya. He specializes in digital advertisements which are currently making waves on social media platforms such as Facebook, You Tube and Instagram in the Kenyan context. The study was anchored on Kress and Van Leeuwen’s (2001) Multimodal Theory Discourse Analysis Theory. Findings indicate that comedians employ around ten modes of signification: writings, speech, images, participants, lighting, colour, soundtracks, gestures, actions and music.
