Keywords
Adolescents
Emotional contagion
Influence mechanisms
Duality
Submitted : 2026-01-14
Accepted : 2026-01-29
Published : 2026-02-13
Abstract
Against the backdrop of highly developed online emotional transmission, viral internet memes have become the primary vehicle for adolescents’ emotional expression and empathetic resonance. This paper examines the mechanisms through which memes influence adolescent emotional transmission, constructing a tripartite “psychological-societal-technological” framework grounded in interdisciplinary perspectives. By analyzing memes’ emotional encoding characteristics, transmission pathways, alienation risks, and the three-dimensional framework, it delineates the complete chain of emotion: encoding-transmission-resonance-mutation. The study reveals that viral memes achieve multifaceted emotional expression through minimalist symbols, forming dissemination pathways through the synergistic interplay of technological, social, and psychological factors. Concurrently, risks of emotional polarization and affective commodification persist. Their impact on adolescent emotional transmission is dual-edged: while simplifying expression, fostering group identification, and facilitating positive emotional regulation, they may also precipitate information silos, expressive capacity atrophy, and distorted value systems. This paper constructs an integrated analytical paradigm spanning psychological, social, and technological dimensions. Within this framework, it investigates the mechanisms through which viral internet memes influence adolescent emotional transmission.
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