Memes Contest: The Group Communication Mechanism of Internet Memes in Group Emoji Competition postprint

Abstract: Based on the rapid development of the Internet era, Internet memes as a form of information visualization have shown implosive development and viral spread, and gradually evolved into a collective carnival within online communities. This study takes the group communication mechanism of memes in the process of group emoji competition as the entry point, and uses a questionnaire survey as the research method to initially explore the psychological motivation and communication mechanism of group communication of Internet memes. It is found that psychological motivation plays a primary role in the group communication mechanism of Internet memes; group ecology is a limiting factor in the communication of Internet memes; and group members' attitudes toward the use of memes can accelerate the spread of Internet memes.