Overloading, Incongruity, Animation: A Theory of Caricature and Caricatural Logic in Contemporary Media

This essay considers how caricature aesthetics, which feature overloading, incongruity, and animation, undermine caricature functionality, which includes economical representation, the perpetuation of stereotypes, and the affirmation of pre-held beliefs and opinions. Analyzing this contradictory logic assists in theorizing contemporary media environments that suffer from “hypernormalization,” that rely on the condensation and acceleration of information, and that explicitly use caricatural logics in political satire, news media, and social media more broadly. This essay’s analysis of caricature theories and practices builds on what Wittgenstein referred to as “seeing as” and demonstrates the critical value of reflecting on perceptual and conceptual entanglement.