Instances of modern humor increasingly exist as multimodal signs, which is most evident in the recent new format of digital memes, image macros, funny videos, and other forms of humor widely circulated on social media and online. However, the meaning-potential of humor – whatever traditional or modern forms it takes – is inseparably linked to the social context, which not only provides the background for the un/successful deployment of humor but also ends up being shaped by the humor used. From a semiotic perspective, humor involves both the handling of complex socially embedded and publicly shared meanings as well as individualized personal motivations that underlie the interlocutors’ intentions and the eventual communicative effects.