iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

This paper was first presented at #ICA 2024 Popular Media & Culture division and is part of the special issue. Please stay tuned for more to come!

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

🔸 Global social media entertainment (SME) isn't just defined by authenticity and community, but also by reactivity.

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

🔸 Reaction media is perhaps demonstrative of the lack of rational discourse online and the drive to subversion and epistemological conflict in online spaces.

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Key insights: 🔸 Cross-platform reaction media functions as productive friction that welcomes creative interpretations, which can fuel the dialogic relationship among different actors.

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

who’s known for his reaction videos to Western chefs’ attempts at Asian cuisine. We spent months tracking Uncle Roger's reaction videos, and the reactions to his reactions, across YouTube, TikTok, Douyin, & Bilibili, until his accounts got shut down in China in 2023.

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Fuiyoh! If that word means something to you, or you like consuming Asian food content on YouTube, then you've already encountered the subject of our new OA paper.🥟 🧑‍🍳 Dr. Bliss and I explored reaction media through analysing an Internet persona, Uncle Roger

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Reposted by Ziying Meng

taylor annabell @taylorannabell.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Join us for our webinar series with contributing authors from The Hashtag Hustle to discuss the cultural, economic, and legal dimensions of content creation as a form of labour Register: forms.office.com/e/aW9WYQrh8Q Book available open access: www.elgaronline.com/edcollbook-o...

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

I will be sharing my paper on cross-platform labour this Wednesday (Feb 26, Melbourne time 8 pm)! Tune in to the online webinar if you are interested 😊

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

and yes people have written about this in a paper, "The Academic Online: Constructing Persona Through the World Wide Web" core.ac.uk/download/pdf...

core.ac.uk

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Just realised how much effort people invest in promoting academic work. It took me an hour to think abt how to promote my paper, the image/links I needed, adjust the post to fit a platform's style. Such branding work is no less than what a creator/influencer has to do everyday. #academicsky #phdchat

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Key takeaways (3/3): Empowerment vs. Precarity – Chinese platforms offer lucrative opportunities but come with strict regulations. US platforms provide more creative leeway, yet creators still face the challenge of maintaining consistency to succeed. #creatoradvice

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Key takeaways (2/3): Platform Poaching – A concept I develop to describe platform-led talent scouting. Compared to US platforms, Chinese platforms actively recruit and manage creators, offering support and incentives to attract them from competitor platforms. #socialmedia #bigtech #technews

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Key takeaways (1/3): Creator Marketplace – A built-in commercial service widely used in China’s wanghong industry, matching creators with sponsorships. While it streamlines monetisation, platforms take a cut, making creators feel ambivalent. #creatoradvice #socialmediamarketing #influencermarketing

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Excited to share that this book on influencer labour🎉 In my chapter, I examine creators’ cross-platform labour across Chinese and US-based social media economies — how they make money, build a brand across platforms, and navigate work conditions 🔗https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035332816.00013

elgaronline.com

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Reposted by Ziying Meng

taylor annabell @taylorannabell.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

@ziyingm.bsky.social explores labour conditions across Chinese and US-based platforms, illustrating how creators develop self-governance tactics, cross-platform labour and navigate platform poaching.

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

I also like the discussion on whether podcasts nowadays are still considered "podcasts" when podcasters have to upload videos across platforms, as this is the only way to get people's attention.

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Interesting talk by @taylorlorenz.bsky.social with Patreon's CEO Jack Conte about the dilemma that many creators have to face. Short videos are easier to be picked up by algorithms but also weaken the connection between creators and audiences. youtu.be/yHTT0sg3Teg?...

youtu.be

Patreon’s CEO: Social media is killing creators

YouTube video by Taylor Lorenz

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Shared my two cents on the TikTok-Xiaohongshu (RedNote) user migration with CNA yesterday. Ahead of dreaded TikTok ban, US ‘refugees’ flee to China’s Xiaohongshu app but not all are welcoming www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/un...

channelnewsasia.com

Ahead of dreaded TikTok ban, US ‘refugees’ flee to China’s Xiaohongshu app but not all are welcoming

Chinese users are responding with a mix of enthusiasm for cultural exchange and frustration over altered algorithms.

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 18/01/2025

One of the challenges that Xiaohongshu #rednote has to deal with is content moderation. Users on xhs complained how their posts were stuck in moderation for hours. I made a video commenting on #tiktokrefugee and it took a total of 30 hours for the video to be released in public.

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

Creators commonly move across platforms, some wanting to increase online visibility and chances for monetisation, while others want to escape the sinking ship.

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

In light of TikTok users flooding to Xiaohongshu this week, I want to share this paper again, in which we detailed creators' "platform migration" activities. platformjmc.com/wp-content/u... #tiktokrefugee #rednote #Xiaohongshu

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Reposted by Ziying Meng

Carwyn Morris @carwynmorris.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Engaging with #Xiaohongshu ( #RED / #REDnote / #LittleRedBook): A Reading List. @qianhuang.bsky.social and I curated this crowdsourced reading list on Xiaohongshu - qianxeniahuang.super.site/resources/xi... We're happy to add more suggestions! Hosted by Qian to make it accessible in China.

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Reposted by Ziying Meng

Qian Huang 黄倩 @qianhuang.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

As promised, a reading list about Xiaohongshu is available now with the help of many Chinese social media researchers: qianxeniahuang.super.site/resources/xi.... Special thanks to @carwynmorris.bsky.social for co-editing this. I am only hosting this on my personal website for logistic reasons.

qianxeniahuang.super.site

Engaging with Xiaohongshu (RED/REDnote/LittleRedBook): A Reading List

In the mold of other reading lists and bibliographies that have inspired us (see Digital Ethnography Collective Reading List, TikTok Researcher Network, and Doing Fieldwork in a Pandemic), and given t...

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Reposted by Ziying Meng

Qian Huang 黄倩 @qianhuang.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Content creators on TikTok worldwide have been rebuilding their communities on Xiaohongshu (or ‘Red Note’), which generates much research interest. It’s all great, but there are some points I have to get out of my chest. If you are planning to research or comment on the ‘TikTok Refugee’, pls read:

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Reposted by Ziying Meng

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

I wrote about how American and Chinese internet users are accidentally cobbling together a techno-utopian version of the “global village,” even if it’s unlikely to last.

gizmodo.com

The Techno-Utopian Dream of the 1990s Is Alive on RedNote (For Now)

Will Americans actually use an app where the captchas aren't even in English?

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Spotted an influx of American users on Chinese social media app #xiaohongshu (aka #littleredbook #rednote #xhs) under #tiktokrefugee. Algorithm def facilitates this trend. Once I clicked in some posts, my feed is filled with English content, which is rare for a Chinese language app #tiktokban

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

This is also my first solo-author paper and part of my ongoing PhD research. It’s been a looong journey but I’m thrilled to see it out in public💓 #academicsky #phdlife

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

(3/3) To navigate changes, creators often optimize content, adapt to platform features and cross-cultural online spaces. Tho many creators also face challenges from cultural and linguistic differences when expanding to local/ international markets

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

(2/3) Unlike US platforms positioning creators as minor stakeholders, creators on Chinese platforms receive greater support, and even insider access to web traffic to boost visibility;

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Some insights: (1/3) Based on experiences, creators can learn that each platform has its own algorithmic preferences;

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

How do content creators learn about a dozen platforms and push their content into the ‘for you’ page?🤔 In this new OA paper in New Media & Society, I explore transnational creators' algorithmic and visibility practices across multiple Chinese and US-based platforms. 🔗 shorturl.at/f0mAC

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Indeed! I often feel like yelling into the Internet void but it’s still better than remaining silence

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Folks, any tips for self promoting research papers in a personal but not-so-cringe way?🧐 Is self promotion even necessary? Do people really read papers via social media promotes? #academicsky #phdsky #phdchat

media.tenor.com

a cat is sitting in front of a window making a funny face .

ALT: a cat is sitting in front of a window making a funny face .

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Ziying Meng @ziyingm.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Heeeello bluesky! I'm Ziying, currently doing a PhD in media and communications in Melbourne, Australia. My thesis looks at content creators/ influencers/ wanghong and their practices across Chinese and US-based social media platforms. And yes I've been a creator myself since 2017 📸

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