Change of symbol significance regarding “social man”

YANG Yiyin¹ CHEN Zixin² YAN Yurong²

(1.College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Harbin Engineering University)
(2.School of Journalism, Communication University of China)

【Abstract】In the context of increasingly mediated society, people give more and more media symbol the significance of socialization. In recent years, the “‘social man’ Peppa Pig” is very popular in network and daily life, this has induced people’s discussion on the significance of “social man.” Regarding “social man” as keyword, this study tries to grab ten thousand micro-blog texts, and extract five hundred microblog texts to conduct content analysis. Meanwhile, we also conduct the deep interview with some related people. According to the findings, regarding the symbol representation of “social man,” in the transformation process from “big gold necklace” and “social elder brother” to “‘social man’ Peppa Pig,” its symbol significance and seeking process are more abstract; there exist the social psychological mechanisms of psychological dissociation and shared reality behind. Hence, we could construct positive symbol through media, and promote the formation of shared culture and shared mentality under the psychological mechanism for shared reality. The findings have some inspiring implications for understanding the formation of social culture and its picture.

【Keywords】 social man; Peppa Pig; shared reality; psychological dissociation;

【DOI】

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(Translated by LUO Jing)

Footnote

[1]. (1) Source of data: iQiyi, up to June 25, 2018. [^Back]

[2]. (2) The so-called meme means a punchline, and unfolding memes means paving the way for punchlines. In general, memes are often used for popular things (such as variety shows, anime, TV series, etc.). The meaning of the word meme has been continuously expanded and extended. Things like a certain period of time, or a small episode, and even a fragment of a story all can be called memes (such as height memes, classic memes and creative memes). (https://baike.so.com/doc/5394995-24822075.html). [^Back]

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