Online Image and Self-Presentation: A Study on Chinese Rural Female Vloggers

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this empirical study is to examine how Chinese rural female vloggers present and express themselves online when they are increasingly exposed to the Internet, and to analyze the motivations of their self-expression and whether the media images on the Internet correctly reflect the real life of rural women in China. Design/methodology/approach We conducted content analysis and case studies on 30 rural female vloggers and 2580 videos selected from Xi Gua Video, one of the most popular video platforms in China. The English name of Xi Gua Video is Watermelon Video. It belongs to the same company as Douyin(the Chinese version of Tik Tok) and has a large number of creators. There is a Rural category in Xi Gua Video which shows its importance to the video platform. Findings Married women are the mainstay of rural female vloggers, and they tend to use unique username settings. Among different avatars, a confident smile is the mainstream. The themes of the videos mainly center on rural family life. Based on the analysis of the video themes, we speculated that whatever techniques rural women take for video shooting, their image formation is still subject to the gaze of men and the patriarchal social order. In general, they are still disciplined, though their self-awareness has already begun to awaken. Research implications The research unveils the gendered frame behind the rural-related short videos in contemporary China. It can also help the rural female vloggers identify themselves. Practical implications Internet policymakers can guide the dissemination of short videos of rural women based on this research, thereby improving the status and lives of rural women. Originality/value This is an empirical study to examine the rural Chinese female vloggers’ attitude and cognitive competence based on the feminist theory.