Contingency, Precarity and Short-Video Creativity: Platformization Based Analysis of Chinese Online Screen Industry

Abstract

Platformization theory proposes that cultural productions are contingent on platforms. This study argues that in the Chinese context; however, online productions are contingent not only on platforms, but on government policies. Under the influence of state, market, and platform policy, major streaming services in China are becoming an online “state TV.” The limitations placed on grassroots content has forced creators to thrive elsewhere, contributing to the proliferation of short video platforms such as TikTok. This study investigates the contingency and precarity of the online sector to map the migration of content creators from conventional streaming services to the emerging creative forms of short videos and livestreaming.