Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: : This article presents a literature review on the topic of how social belonging is expressed, both in communication through memes and in participation in online challenges. The topic is highly relevant, given how prevalent memes and online challenges are in the digital sphere – particularly on social media. Furthermore, there is a lack of research on this issue, as well as scarcity of literature on them and a lack of comparative analysis regarding how social belonging manifests itself in each case. The methodology includes a desk study and analysis of selected memes. The aim of this literature review is to examine how social belonging manifests itself in communication via memes and in participation in online challenges, and whether it differs in any way. It is hypothesised that social belonging manifests itself differently in the two cases. The article presents examples of studies that examine how communication through memes and participation in online challenges serve as a means of satisfying this vital human need, and highlights the differences in how this need manifests in each case. The literature review reveals that both phenomena satisfy the need for social belonging, but do so in different ways. Through memes, belonging manifests itself through identification with a shared experience, whilst participation in online challenges builds it through joint activities. Keywords: social belonging, memes, internet challenges, digital space, social circle, social media
Source: Rhetoric and Communications
DOI: 10.55206/zccx8414
Author: Alexander Blagoev
Institution: Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7223187510