Investigating the Normie Memes in Shaping Malaysian Youth’s Self-Identity on Social Media

Low, Phou Yee (2025) Investigating the Normie Memes in Shaping Malaysian Youth’s Self-Identity on Social Media. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

This study examines how Malaysian adolescents, aged 13 to 24, shape their sense of self in social media through normie memes, which are straightforward, relevant, and widely shared online content. The study examines how the pervasive use of normie memes affects perceptions, self-presentation, and identity formation, drawing on Framing Theory. 386 young Malaysians participated in a quantitative survey to investigate two study questions: how they interact with normie memes and how these memes affect their social behaviour and self-perception. According to the results, normie memes are standard in everyday social media use, with WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok being the most often used platforms. In addition to utilising memes for amusement, young people admitted using them to convey humour, represent their beliefs, follow social trends, and control their online persona. According to more than half of the participants, memes affected individuals' perceptions of themselves and their comprehension of social norms. Many people also mentioned feeling pressured by society to fit in with the topics and humour of famous memes. From the findings, normie memes support active identity performance techniques and passive assimilation of cultural values. This research provides insightful information about Malaysian youth culture in the digital sphere. It emphasises the importance of understanding meme interaction to promote media literacy, mental health, and healthy identity development in a generation more connected through technology. Keywords: Normie Memes, Self-identity, Malaysian Youth, Social Media, Framing Theory