Journal: Arts Studies and Criticism DOI: 10.32629/asc.v7i4.5504
Abstract
Digital media have rendered online memes a primary medium of cross-cultural engagement among global youth. The Kris Jenner "manifestation" meme, which went viral worldwide, triggered mass participatory cyber manifesting on Chinese social media. This Chinese practice, distinct from its Western psychological counterpart, blends manifestation ideology with local folk rituals for good luck and prosperity. Drawing on meme theory, cross-cultural symbolic negotiation theory, and identity performativity theory, this study analyzes the meme’s symbolic origins, cross-cultural dissemination, and social impacts using platform observation, case study, and textual analysis. Findings demonstrate that global algorithmic circulation, cross-cultural opinion leaders and widespread youth financial precarity jointly drive its cross-cultural resonance. Through semiotic deconstruction and localized meaning reconstruction, these imported cultural signifiers evolved from an individual Western psychological ritual of intentional manifestation into a localized media practice for Chinese youth to release anxiety, perform self-identity, and build subcultural solidarity. This transformation highlights the role of local audiences as interpreters within the process of symbolic reproduction while exposing cultural superficiality and manufactured emotional release enabled by algorithm‑driven entertainment. This study offers theoretical insights into transnational meme circulation and practical implications for governing youth digital culture in the contemporary media landscape.
Keywords
online memes; cross-cultural communication; youth culture; symbolic appropriation; cyber manifesting
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[13] Ma, L. (2021). Symbolic appropriation and cultural discount adaptation in cross-cultural communication. Journal of International Communication, 43(11), 78–96.
[14] Hu, Y., & Zhang, Y. M. (2022). Alienation and governance path of digital youth culture in the algorithm age. China Youth Study, 7, 34–42.
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