Virtual Echoes: Meme Videos as Practice for Social Interaction and Identity Construction Introduction
Tongyu Xiang
This book explores how meme videos have become a new tool for individual expression and identity construction in digital
culture. Through the combination of symbolic interactionism and Goffman's theory of drama, this study analyzes the
“foreground/background” mechanism of identity performance in meme videos, revealing its emotional power and limitations
in exaggeration, anonymity, and re-creation. The book also includes the author's interactive narrative game Fly Me to
the Moon, which extends his cross-media practice, verifying the expressive power and decoding experience of meme
language in the game. This is a design study on visual language, digital self, emotional expression, and a
self-exploration of “being seen” and “being understood” online.
Game Demo Video
Fly Me to the Moon is an extension of the transmedia practice of meme video research in this thesis. The game uses fragmented narratives and virtual symbols to construct a mental world where players actively “decode” their identities and emotions. It transforms the “identity performances” viewed in meme videos into interactive “cognitive experiences,” further validating meme's expressive potential as a digital identity language.
Book Box
The book is divided into three parts that mimic the format of a game cartridge: a book of papers, a carton containing the game driver, and a book strip with instructions for the game. They are housed in a clear plastic case that resembles a game CD-ROM.
Book Box
Content
Virtual Echoes combines several research chapters on identity construction and social practices in meme video, from theoretical analysis to design practice.
Content
Based on symbolic interactionism and Goffman's drama theory, the thesis explores how meme videos participate in the performance and shaping of digital identities through virtual symbols.
Content
The thesis analyzes typical memes in online culture, a critical reading of symbols, and an attempt at cross-media practice that ultimately translates into the interactive narrative game Fly Me to the Moon. Each chapter can be read independently, but together they constitute a holistic reflection on the ways of “self-presentation” in contemporary digital culture.
Game
Fly Me to the Moon is a HD 2.5D game utilizing the UE5.