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ABSTRACT
This study examines the interplays between media organisations, platform affordances and governance logic on Douyin, one of the most popular short video platforms in China, and how these forces work together to construct the narratives of frontline care workers during the Xi’an lockdown. A digital ethnography was conducted on Douyin through the first two months in 2022. After sorting the videos based on their popularity, the first 100 ‘most liked’ videos were documented and coded thematically. The results show that official media accounts were the main providers of the ‘most liked’ videos during the lockdown. Frontline workers were seen in over half of the videos (n = 58). Nearly a quarter of the 100 ‘most liked’ videos (n = 22) featured frontline workers as the focus. The prevailing sentiments manifested by the videos when focusing on frontline workers include uplifting, endearing, touching, grateful and empathetic. Only four videos took on a critical tone. This study contributes a Chinese perspective to the current knowledge of Internet celebrity culture by expanding the discussions on the nexus between political and commercial forces during a pandemic lockdown and the implications on China’s celebrity culture.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the constructive comments and insightful suggestions provided by the reviewers and editors that have enhanced the quality of this study.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. TikTok is often viewed as the international sister app of China’s short video platform Douyin. However, they operate in rather different media contexts. The data of this study was collected from Douyin, and therefore, this research only employs Douyin to refer to the short video platform used in Chinese context to avoid confusion of references.
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Notes on contributors
Yang Yu
Dr. Yang Yu’s research interests include the fields of intercultural communication, international communication and intergroup communication. Her publication record features numerous articles focusing on language and culture, the role of new media, and the effects of media technology on communication paradigms.
Fei Jiang
Dr. Fei Jiang’s research interests include the fields of international communication, intercultural communication and new media. He has published several books and over a hundred academic papers. His works have been recognized with national awards such as the “Hu Sheng Academic Award” and the “Wu Yuzhang Award”.