Emotional Deconstruction and Cultural Analysis of The Viral Spread Of "Cat Meme" Videos from A Subculture Perspective

Take The Tiktok Platform as An Example

Abstract

This article explores the viral transmission mechanism of a phenomenon-level cat meme across the entire network. The article found that cat meme realized standardized production through template creation, and formed a "low variation, high replication" communication chain relying on TikTok and other platforms. Users can complete secondary creation only by replacing words. Combining the theory of memes and emotional communication, it is revealed that cat memes are essentially emotional carriers that integrate cultural genes and subcultural symbols-standardized templates ensure the breadth of dissemination, and emotional resonance deepens the depth of dissemination. Its dissemination is driven by a dual emotional drive: the surface cute pet image triggers the "cute aggression" in psychology, while the deep level achieves collective emotional release through humorous expression. The research further reflects on the alienation of emotional labor in the algorithm era, which provides a theoretical mirror for understanding the subculture communication on the Internet.