The Moral Dimensions of Humour positions comedy and laughter as a form of communication that is easily accessible.
“Humour has universal appeal – as entertainment, to break down complex information, and as a coping mechanism to navigate the challenges of everyday life,” Dr Nickl says.
“This affords humour as a social function the power to transgress social boundaries and engage mass audiences in a way that other forms of communication cannot. I’d say humour is the lingua franca of our age – while we all speak it with different accents across our lived experiences, or research areas in the case of this book, we can on some level all understand each other.”
The book explores the digital era as giving rise to a new virality of comedy, and how this grants humour even more accessibility and power.
“With an influx of online comedic content, consumers and creators, the idea of a centralised audience or a singular interpretation of humour is gone. Instead, humour has become a multifaceted, performative tool that can be experienced in many ways.
“Humour can foster connection and community, challenge assumptions and denounce injustice, and in doing so it reinforces a sense of belonging and identity, including political identity,” Dr Nickl explains.
