Image Construction And Identity Of Rural Middle Aged And Elderly Users In Douyin From The Perspective Of Interaction Ritual Chain

With the development of economy and technology,social media have become an indispensable part of people’s life and play an increasingly important role in people’s entertainment,self-expression,and communication.Middle-aged and elderly people in China rural areas are often considered to be marginalized in digital world,while data shows that middle-aged and elderly users,especially those in low-tier cities and remote rural areas,are taking up an increasing proportion of social media users’ group.With the aggravation of population aging in our country,the proportion of middle-aged and elderly social media users continues to rise,and their emotional expression and social media usage habits have also been paid more and more attention.Douyin has now become the most popular short video APP domestically.Many middle-aged and elderly users in rural areas not only frequently view contents,but also upload their innovative videos and even go live on Douyin.The contents they post on Douyin are their self-expression,and also their image construction.Douyin provides an environment where people can interact with each other.In the process of interactions like comments and giving hearts,people find common focuses and share similar emotions.And the interactive ritual chain is formed.In this interactive ritual chain,they are motivated by emotional energy to show more about themselves and formed new identity.The author took 20 middle-aged and elderly Douyin users in a rural area as the objects of the study and observed their Douyin contents for over a year.Based on observation,the author then conducted in-depth interviews with them to figure out what image and identity they formed through interaction on Douyin and how they formed the interaction ritual chain.From the perspective of the interaction ritual chain,the author explained how the emotional energy affected their image construction and identity.In the process of interaction,they are no longer just ordinary rural people who are "far away from society","unable to keep up with the trend" and "illiterate",but can also become shining stars,active anchors.The emotional energy in the interaction makes them discover a new self and have a new identity.