Measuring the Impact of Internet Memes on Social Interaction and Digital Communication Skills Among Students of the Faculty of Media at Yarmouk University: A Regression Analysis

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35516/Hum.2026.10401

Keywords:

Internet memes, social interaction, Yarmouk University students, impact, digital communication.

Abstract

Objectives: This study explores the impact of internet memes on social interaction among students at the Faculty of Media, Yarmouk University, Jordan. It investigates how internet memes influence social engagement, understanding of social issues, participation in university activities, and the development of digital communication skills.

Methods: A survey methodology was employed, utilizing descriptive and analytical approaches to address the research questions. A sample of 210 students from different departments within the Faculty of Media at Yarmouk University was selected. The survey consisted of two sections: the first focused on demographic information and meme usage patterns, while the second assessed the impact of memes on social interaction, understanding of social issues, participation in discussions, and digital communication skills. Data were analyzed using simple regression techniques.

Results: The findings revealed that internet memes had a strong impact on social interaction (78%), communication skills (79%), and engagement with social issues (78.3%). However, their effect on fostering a deeper understanding of social issues was moderate (77%). Regression analysis showed that meme usage significantly contributed to improvements in social interaction, understanding of social issues, and communication skills, with statistical significance across all measured variables.

Conclusions: The study concludes that internet memes play a significant role in enhancing social interaction and communication skills among students at Yarmouk University. While memes help raise awareness about social issues and increase student participation, they are less effective in fostering a deeper understanding of complex social topics.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abdullah, M. M. (2023). Youth's use of meme content on social media and its relation to their attitudes towards cyberbullying. Egyptian Journal of Communication Research, 83, 433–501. https://doi.org/10.21608/ejsc.2023.300170

Aish, H. (2022). Internet memes, production and consumption of digital culture: The memes phenomenon as a model. Journal of Message for Media Studies, 6(1), 281–293. https://asjp.cerist.dz/en/article/183743

Al-Rawi, A. (2021). Political memes and fake news discourses on Instagram. Media and Communication, 9(1), 277. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v9i1.3533

Baym, N. K. (2015). Personal connections in the digital age (2nd ed.). Polity Press.

Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1966). The social construction of reality: A treatise in the sociology of knowledge. Anchor Books.

Bishop, J. (2016). Digital communities and the role of memes in knowledge exchange. Online Communities Journal, 7(2), 21–35. https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research

Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic interactionism: Perspective and method. Prentice-Hall.

Boyd, D. (2014). It’s complicated: The social lives of networked teens. Yale University Press.

Castells, M. (2009). Communication power. Oxford University Press. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/communication-power-9780199567041

De Saint Laurent, C., Glăveanu, V. P., & Literat, I. (2021). Internet memes as partial stories: Identifying political narratives in coronavirus memes. Social Media + Society, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305121988932

El Sayed, Y. M. I. (2023). The impact of the viral spread of Internet memes on the digital generation seeking information. Journal of Communication Research, 22, [pages]. https://doi.org/10.21608/joa.2023.309208

Gerbner, G., Gross, L., Morgan, M., & Signorielli, N. (1986). Living with television: The dynamics of the cultivation process. In J. Bryant & D. Zillmann (Eds.), Perspectives on media effects (pp. 17–40). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Majdzińska-Koczorowicz, E., & Ostanina-Olszewska, M. (2021). The impact of memes on remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and opportunities. Journal of Education and Digital Media, 5(4), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jedm.2021.100055

McCombs, M., & Shaw, D. L. (1972). The agenda-setting function of mass media. Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176–187.

Mead, G. H. (1934). Mind, self, and society. University of Chicago Press.

Milner, R. M. (2016). The world made meme: Discourse and identity in participatory media. University of Michigan Press.

Petrucco, C., & Agostini, D. (2016). Internet memes as a means of informal learning and social interaction among students. Journal of Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies (ECPS), 14, 191–208. https://doi.org/10.7358/ecps-2016-014-petr

Shifman, L. (2014). Memes in digital culture. MIT Press. https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/memes-digital-culture

van Dijck, J. (2013). The culture of connectivity: A critical history of social media. Oxford University Press.

Xie, D., De Serio, L., Malakhov, A., & Matys, O. (2020). Memes and education: Opportunities, approaches, and perspectives. Geopolitical, Social Security, and Freedom Journal, 3(2), 14–25. https://doi.org/10.2478/gssfj-2020-0009

Zhou, H. (2020). The viral spread of memes and their implications for online education. Journal of Digital Learning, 12(4), 132–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdl.2020.100132.

Downloads

Published

2026-10-01

Issue

Section

Mass Communication

How to Cite

Mansour, T. M., & Haddad, I. T. (2026). Measuring the Impact of Internet Memes on Social Interaction and Digital Communication Skills Among Students of the Faculty of Media at Yarmouk University: A Regression Analysis. Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, 54(1), 10401. https://doi.org/10.35516/Hum.2026.10401

Most read articles by the same author(s)