WeiMing YE | Peking University (original) (raw)

Papers by WeiMing YE

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Traffic rewards’, ‘algorithmic visibility’, and ‘advertiser satisfaction’: How Chinese short-video platforms cultivate creators in stages

Convergence, 2023

Chinese creators and Douyin (a prominent Chinese short-video platform) are building a strong rela... more Chinese creators and Douyin (a prominent Chinese short-video platform) are building a strong relationship in cultural production. Based on the social exchange theory, this study tries to explore the process and mechanism of monetization in Chinese platforms. Using the app walkthrough method and in-depth interviews with 19 full-time creators, we contend that Chinese creators and Douyin engage in a repetitive but unequal exchange with the common goal of earning income. Douyin works with creators to cultivate their thirst for revenue over time, while mastering the creative labor, before finally tying them to monetary gains. Douyin not only binds exposure and allocates Internet traffic to new creators, but also develops Dou+, a traffic marketing tool that leverages the affordances of creative work visibility. Douyin first enhances the creators’ income expectations through this step. The platform then directs creators through the Star-Chart content trading system, and establishes the platform-advertiser-creator transaction chain. When the exchange between Douyin and creators becomes stable, the platform sets up an uncertain revenue mechanism. Douyin’s commitment to creating a standardized assembly line of production and financial benefit for creators has established an exchange mode between the platform and creators at the expense of innovation and diversity. We argue that this standardized labor process eliminates the autonomy of cultural production.

Research paper thumbnail of Making Laughter How Chinese Official Media Produce News on the Douyin Tik Tok

Journalism Practice, 2023

As algorithm-driven content platforms sweep the world, what is changing in journalism? This artic... more As algorithm-driven content platforms sweep the world, what is changing in journalism? This article investigates news production of the Chinese official media on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok). From the perspectives of news gathering, professional role, and news value, we conducted a manual content analysis (N = 991) of four representative Chinese official media (People’s Daily, China Youth Daily, Southern Metropolis Daily and Sichuan Observer) to reveal the commonalities and heterogeneities of their news production on Douyin. Then, through an automated content analysis of Sichuan Observer (N = 16,045), we illustrate how district media convergence centers have fought for public attention as emerging actors in the news ecosystem. Overall, we map the current practices of Chinese official media on the emerging algorithm-driven content platforms, focusing on how they pursue a new type of news orientation and popularize the Party’s message while disseminating entertainment content. Contributions, such as the expansion of the classification framework of Chinese official media, and the catering of journalism to platforms, are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of "I know it's sensitive": Internet censorship, recoding, and the sensitive word culture in China

Discourse, Context & Media, 2023

This article conceptualizes the Sensitive Word Culture as a new theoretical lens for understandin... more This article conceptualizes the Sensitive Word Culture as a new theoretical lens for understanding how Chinese netizens interact with Internet censorship systems. Through the use of 22 in-depth interviews of Chinese Weibo users and netnography as empirical material, eight types of word recoding practices are identified and mapped into two discourse strategies, namely "evading detection" and "expanding interpretability." Drawing on the concepts of everyday resistance and everyday politics, we analyze the power relations behind these discourse strategies, and also identify the apolitical aspects and scope of the Sensitive Word Culture. One notable finding is that the Sensitive Word Culture is becoming a part of China's digital cultural production, influencing the development of slang and memes. This research offers insights into how censorship from artificial intelligence and human intelligence influences the online discourses on Chinese social media.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Traffic rewards’, ‘algorithmic visibility’, and ‘advertiser satisfaction’: How Chinese short-video platforms cultivate creators in stages

Convergence, 2023

Chinese creators and Douyin (a prominent Chinese short-video platform) are building a strong rela... more Chinese creators and Douyin (a prominent Chinese short-video platform) are building a strong relationship in cultural production. Based on the social exchange theory, this study tries to explore the process and mechanism of monetization in Chinese platforms. Using the app walkthrough method and in-depth interviews with 19 full-time creators, we contend that Chinese creators and Douyin engage in a repetitive but unequal exchange with the common goal of earning income. Douyin works with creators to cultivate their thirst for revenue over time, while mastering the creative labor, before finally tying them to monetary gains. Douyin not only binds exposure and allocates Internet traffic to new creators, but also develops Dou+, a traffic marketing tool that leverages the affordances of creative work visibility. Douyin first enhances the creators’ income expectations through this step. The platform then directs creators through the Star-Chart content trading system, and establishes the platform-advertiser-creator transaction chain. When the exchange between Douyin and creators becomes stable, the platform sets up an uncertain revenue mechanism. Douyin’s commitment to creating a standardized assembly line of production and financial benefit for creators has established an exchange mode between the platform and creators at the expense of innovation and diversity. We argue that this standardized labor process eliminates the autonomy of cultural production.

Research paper thumbnail of Making Laughter How Chinese Official Media Produce News on the Douyin Tik Tok

Journalism Practice, 2023

As algorithm-driven content platforms sweep the world, what is changing in journalism? This artic... more As algorithm-driven content platforms sweep the world, what is changing in journalism? This article investigates news production of the Chinese official media on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok). From the perspectives of news gathering, professional role, and news value, we conducted a manual content analysis (N = 991) of four representative Chinese official media (People’s Daily, China Youth Daily, Southern Metropolis Daily and Sichuan Observer) to reveal the commonalities and heterogeneities of their news production on Douyin. Then, through an automated content analysis of Sichuan Observer (N = 16,045), we illustrate how district media convergence centers have fought for public attention as emerging actors in the news ecosystem. Overall, we map the current practices of Chinese official media on the emerging algorithm-driven content platforms, focusing on how they pursue a new type of news orientation and popularize the Party’s message while disseminating entertainment content. Contributions, such as the expansion of the classification framework of Chinese official media, and the catering of journalism to platforms, are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of "I know it's sensitive": Internet censorship, recoding, and the sensitive word culture in China

Discourse, Context & Media, 2023

This article conceptualizes the Sensitive Word Culture as a new theoretical lens for understandin... more This article conceptualizes the Sensitive Word Culture as a new theoretical lens for understanding how Chinese netizens interact with Internet censorship systems. Through the use of 22 in-depth interviews of Chinese Weibo users and netnography as empirical material, eight types of word recoding practices are identified and mapped into two discourse strategies, namely "evading detection" and "expanding interpretability." Drawing on the concepts of everyday resistance and everyday politics, we analyze the power relations behind these discourse strategies, and also identify the apolitical aspects and scope of the Sensitive Word Culture. One notable finding is that the Sensitive Word Culture is becoming a part of China's digital cultural production, influencing the development of slang and memes. This research offers insights into how censorship from artificial intelligence and human intelligence influences the online discourses on Chinese social media.