Research On The Self-presentation Of Rural Elderly Women In Short Videos From The Perspective Of Dramaturgical Theory

The ageing of China continues to deepen,and there are urban-rural and gender differences in this respect.Elderly women in rural areas are in a disadvantaged position in society due to the triple factors of geography,age and gender.They are often overlooked and discriminated against in media reports.With the development and penetration of the internet,more and more rural elderly people are joining the internet,and social media has become an important platform for online communication and interaction among the elderly.The emergence of short videos has decentralized the right of communication and discourse,enabling rural elderly women,an originally silent marginalized group of society,to present themselves online.Based on this,guided by the dramaturgical theory,this research adopts research methods such as participatory observation,in-depth interview,and content analysis to study the way of self-presentation of rural elderly women on the short video platform,a new performance stage,and the group portraits outlined by rural elderly women’s selfpresentation.On the basis of the above research,this paper further analyzes the motivations and characteristics of rural elderly women’s self-presentation,and deeply discusses the value and significance of their self-presentation.The study then proposes suggestions on the problems that this group may face in the process of self-presentation,in order to provide a reference for understanding the living conditions of the digital society of the elderly in rural area and to provide reference for them to better present themselves on the Internet and better integrate into the digital society.Specifically,this study constructs a self-presentation evaluation index system for Kuaishou users,including personal homepage information setting evaluation index,short video work evaluation index,and the accompanying text evaluation index,in order to evaluate rural elderly women in quantitative analysis of the self-presentation of the Kuaishou platform.The study find that rural elderly women tend to show their real selves in their personal information setting and focus on interaction with viewers.The short video works mainly focus on talent shows and life records.The shooting scene changes with the life scene.The use of special effects and video dubbing can reduce the difficulty of their perfortance and improve their performance effect.Based on the observation,the types of self-presentation are mainly positive and desirable,such as versatile,happy and wise.Combined with the analysis of in-depth interviews,it is found that the motivations that affect the self-presentation of rural elderly women include internal and external aspects.External motivations include family digital feedback,peer support and circle support,the affordance of short video platform,and the context of active ageing,digital inclusion.Internal motivations include leisure,information exchange,self-disclosure,social interaction,realising value,gaining respect,gaining income and improving life.With regard to the characteristics of rural elderly women’s self-presentation,guided by dramaturgical theory and combined with observation and interview,it is found that:as a new stage for self-presentation,the short video platform is easy to operate and rich in functions,which is convenient for the group to master and prepare for the performance.At the same time,under the influence of the media technology affordance,the self-presentation of this group has changed from "stage performance" to "self exhibition".In order to achieve impression management,this group focuses on life recording and creating the effect of authenticity,blurring the boundaries between front and back stage.At the same time,this group uses the platform functions to carefully beautify to achieve their ideal self and strengthen"giving".In order to cope with the difficulties in implementing the audience isolation strategy,they focused on shaping a true "positive energy" image.This group also shows active interaction with viewers and platform observers.This study critically considers the value and problems of self-presentation among rural elderly women.On the one hand,the self-presentation of this group in short videos is beneficial for them to shape their self-image,reshape their lives,and highlight their value;on the other hand,this group also faces some problems in the process of self-presentation,such as digital addiction,privacy exposure,self-loss and disappearance of characteristic.Based on the existing problems,this study proposes suggestions from various perspectives,such as enhancing social support and comprehensively improving digital literacy.In terms of theoretical significance,this study can enrich the research on selfpresentation,dramaturgical theory and the media use of the elderly groups in rural area.In practical terms,it can help to understand the current digital living situation of elderly women in rural area,help this group to achieve digital inclusion and promote a positive response to population ageing.