In this project we examine how transgressive, i.e. sexist or racist, internet memes affect people’s attitudes and perceptions towards women and ethnic minorities. More particularly, we explore whether people’s appreciation of transgressive internet memes as humorous or serious content conditions the cognitive effects of internet memes. While much of the literature has focused on describing transgressive internet memes as products of online communities, we study how receivers (or audiences) react to transgressive internet memes. The aims of this project are twofold: (1) to integrate semiotic, cognitive, and sociological concepts into a coherent theoretical framework explaining how internet memes affect (certain) people;(2) to empirically ascertain the validity of these theorized mechanisms with four survey experiments using online access panel data. Our core objective is to examine empirically what negative effects sexist/racist memes have on audiences and – more importantly – which audiences are likely to experience what effects. This project thus merges communication, cognitive, and sociological perspectives into a cognitive-sociological study which will crucially advance our understanding of internet memes as a unique kind of social discourse or communication.