Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
Home> Volumes> Volume CHR Vol.126> Article
Research Article

Psychological Representation and Motivations Behind Adolescents' Internet Meme Usage on Social Media Platforms

Shosho Lin*
King’s College of London

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

With the development of social media, internet memes have gradually become a common part of teenagers' daily online communication. This paper focuses on the use of internet memes among teenagers and explores their psychological characteristics and motivations from the perspectives of group belonging, self-presentation, social recognition, emotion regulation, and secondary creation. The study finds that internet memes are not only used for entertainment, but also play an important role in teenagers' social interactions. By sharing, creating, and responding to memes, teenagers can become more involved in peer groups, express their personalities and emotions, and receive social feedback through likes, comments, and other forms of interaction. At the same time, frequent use of internet memes may also cause some problems, such as the spread of inappropriate content and simplified forms of language expression. Therefore, while recognizing the social and expressive value of internet memes, it is also important to improve teenagers' media literacy and encourage them to participate in online culture in a more rational and responsible way.

Keywords: Internet Memes; Social Media; Adolescents; Psychological Motivations
Published: November 10, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.BJ38854
Volume: CHR Vol.126
pp. 161-166
Download PDF

References

  1. Das, S. S. (2023). Rising popularity of internet memes in India: A media psychology perspective.Indian Journal of Social Science and Literature, 2(3), 5-9.
  2. Smirnova, O. V., Denissova, G. V., Svitich, L. G., Lin, C., Steblovskaia, S., & Antipova, A. S. (2020). Psychological and ethnocultural sensitivities in the perception of COVID-19 memes by young people in Russia and China.Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, 13(4), 148-167.
  3. Ao, S. (2026). Self-presentation and meme culture: How do young people manage emotions on social media?SHS Web of Conferences, 228, 03005. EDP Sciences.
  4. Wong, E. F., & Holyoak, K. J. (2021). Cognitive and motivational factors driving sharing of internet memes.Memory & Cognition, 49(5), 863-872.
  5. Ali, S., Yawar, R. B., Ali, S., Saif, N., Goh, G. G. G., & Khan, F. (2025). From memes to motivation: Understanding how social media influencers drive youth consumption.Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 1907.
  6. Kath, L. M., Schmidt, G. B., Islam, S., Jimenez, W. P., & Hartnett, J. L. (2024). Getting psyched about memes in the psychology classroom.Teaching of Psychology, 51(3), 345–351.
  7. Clinton-Lisell, V., & Kelly, A. E. (2024). Are scientific memes motivating and does public sharing affect motivation?Psychology Learning & Teaching, 23(1), 26–42.
  8. Tabatabaei, S., & Ivanova, E. A. (2021). The role of memes on emotional contagion.Elementary Education Online, 20(5), 6028–6036.
  9. Somphon, V., Thephavongsa, K., Phommasaeng, A., Mephaenglavanh, P., Vongsanga, N., & Thavisay, T. (2026). Factors influencing user's intention to like memes: Behavioral motives, memes, perceived pleasure, self-concept, social gratification, escapism, user engagement.Lao Social Science Journal, 4(1), 1–8.
  10. Burnham, S. L., Arbeit, M. R., & Hilliard, L. J. (2022). The subtle spread of hateful memes: Examining engagement intentions among parents of adolescents.Social Media + Society, 8(2), 20563051221095100.