Frontline celebrities featured: investigating the most engaged Douyin videos during Xi’an lockdown

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examines the interplays between media organisations, platform affordances and governance logic on Douyin, one of the most popular short video platforms in China, and how these forces work together to construct the narratives of frontline care workers during the Xi’an lockdown. A digital ethnography was conducted on Douyin through the first two months in 2022. After sorting the videos based on their popularity, the first 100 ‘most liked’ videos were documented and coded thematically. The results show that official media accounts were the main providers of the ‘most liked’ videos during the lockdown. Frontline workers were seen in over half of the videos (n = 58). Nearly a quarter of the 100 ‘most liked’ videos (n = 22) featured frontline workers as the focus. The prevailing sentiments manifested by the videos when focusing on frontline workers include uplifting, endearing, touching, grateful and empathetic. Only four videos took on a critical tone. This study contributes a Chinese perspective to the current knowledge of Internet celebrity culture by expanding the discussions on the nexus between political and commercial forces during a pandemic lockdown and the implications on China’s celebrity culture.