Cultural capitals and creative labour of short video platforms: a study of <i>wanghong</i> on Douyin

Abstract

Studies of digital platforms have critically examined the exploitation and low paid condition of creative labour in cultural industries. This study aims to empirically explore the motivation behind why producers/consumers, key opinion leaders, or wanghong are still devoted to producing and posting videos on the short video platform Douyin, which is the Chinese version of Tik Tok, despite the precarious condition. Leveraging on Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capitals and the interchangeability of capitals, this paper argues that Douyin provides the possibility for different wanghong to pursue their own intended capitals, which are not just economic capital, but also social, symbolic, and cultural capital. Under a relatively close environment of China, the flexibility and interchangeability of capital gain have at least become an alternative for these wanghong to explore their creativity and fulfil their desires.