Emotional Compensation of Memes in Social Interaction: Population Differentiation and Symbolic Mechanism under Dual Theories

With social media becoming a core scenario for daily communication, memes, as a form of non-verbal symbols, have gradually demonstrated their emotional compensation function.Some memes even serve as a substitute for direct emotional expression in real-world social interactions.Taking the Emotional Regulation Theory and the Online Disinhibition Effect as the analytical framework, this study explores the emotional compensation function of memes and their impact on the social patterns of different generations.Based on 94 valid questionnaires and the textual analysis of 30 high-frequency used memes, the study reveals three key findings: (1) Memes can partially replace text to facilitate emotional regulation, with a particularly significant effect in the expression of negative emotions; (2) Generation Z shows significantly higher frequency of use and degree of dependence on memes than Generation Y; (3) Meme usage plays a mediating role between generational differences and social anxiety.This study proposes a "Symbolic Emotional Regulation Model", which emphasizes the dual functions of memes in cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression.The research provides both theoretical and practical value for understanding the psychological mechanism of digital symbols and optimizing the design of social platforms.