Communications in Humanities Research

- The Open Access Proceedings Series for Conferences


Communications in Humanities Research

Vol. 21, 07 December 2023


Open Access | Article

How Do Internet Slang and Memes Affect Chinese Teenagers?

Zhongtian Lin * 1
1 University of California

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Communications in Humanities Research, Vol. 21, 85-90
Published 07 December 2023. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by EWA Publishing
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Citation Zhongtian Lin. How Do Internet Slang and Memes Affect Chinese Teenagers?. CHR (2023) Vol. 21: 85-90. DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/21/20231422.

Abstract

An increasing number of young people in this era of new media have access to the web, which is both simpler and more convenient to use. Internet users have contributed to the emergence of a new language and cultural phenomenon known as “Internet slang” and “memes”. Previous studies have addressed and evaluated the many spread phenomena of Internet slang and memes in the last decade, but there has been little focus given to teenagers, despite the fact that this demographic makes up an increasingly large proportion of Internet users. The influence that Internet slang and memes have on Chinese teenagers is the focus of this research. The research question is to analyze how the characteristics of online slang and memes affect Chinese teenagers. A review of the relevant literature and analysis of case studies form the basis of the research method. The research concludes that Internet slang and memes, with their simplicity, diversity, and sustainability, have a greater negative impact on teenagers’ language expression, perception of thinking ways, and mental health. The most feasible strategy to address the issue is the implementation of proactive steps by regulatory bodies to regulate and improve the digital environment. Parents and educators should take a balanced and patient approach to guiding teenagers to develop competence in utilizing language in a standardized manner.

Keywords

Internet slang, meme, communication, linguistics, teenagers

References

1. Department of Youth Rights and Interests of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, China Internet Network Information Center. 2022. Research Report on Internet Usage of Minors in China in 2021[R]. Beijing: China Internet Network Information Center.

2. Liu, Z. (2023). Analysis of Quasi-affixes in Cyber Language from the Perspective of Memetics. International Journal of Education and Humanities, 9(1), 69-72.

3. Szablewicz, M. (2014). The ‘losers’ of China’s Internet: Memes as ‘structures of feeling’ for disillusioned young netizens. China information, 28(2), 259-275.

4. Dmytryuk, S. V., & Lysenko, V. V. (2020). Internet slang. In Інноватика в освіті, науці та бізнесі: виклики та можливості. Київський національний університет технологій та дизайну.

5. Delve. (2022, June 7). What is Symbolic Interaction Theory? Delve. https://delvetool.com/blog/symbolic

6. Dawkins, R. (2016). The Selfish Gene. London: OUP Oxford.

7. Lu, X. (2013). Analysis of Linguistic Characteristics of Taobao Style. Journal of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (06), 42-45.

8. Tang, L. (2023). Research on the Users’ Cognitive Psychology of the “Top Ten Netspeak Terms” in the Past Five Years. Dissertation for the Degree of Master, Hubei Minzu University.

9. Liu, Z. (2017). An Analysis of the Influence of Internet Language on Adolescents’ Thinking Patterns. China Newspaper Industry (20), 25-26.

10. Liang, L. (2020). The Influence of Internet Popular Words on Teenagers’ Language Expression Ability. Journal of Western (22), 49-51.

Data Availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies
ISBN (Print)
978-1-83558-185-8
ISBN (Online)
978-1-83558-186-5
Published Date
07 December 2023
Series
Communications in Humanities Research
ISSN (Print)
2753-7064
ISSN (Online)
2753-7072
DOI
10.54254/2753-7064/21/20231422
Copyright
07 December 2023
Open Access
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Copyright © 2023 EWA Publishing. Unless Otherwise Stated