Identity Seeking Behind Internet Humor: A Study on the Social Psychological Motivations of Jiangsu Netizens Participating in the “Scattered Jiangsu” Meme Discourse

This study takes the popular online expression “Scattered Jiangsu” as its research object, examining it through an interdisciplinary lens that integrates social psychology and internet culture studies. By employing Social Identity Theory, Social Comparison Theory, Individualization Theory, Meme Transmission The-ory, and Social Representation Theory, this paper explores the psychologi-cal motivations underlying Jiangsu netizens’ engagement in the dissemination and recreation of this meme. The analysis reveals that while the meme appears to highlight internal regional fragmentation and disparities within Jiangsu Prov-ince, it essentially reflects a deeper reconstruction of identity, group dis-tinc-tiveness, and cultural belonging among Jiangsu internet users in the digital en-vironment.