Research on the Identification of the Digital Nostalgia Community of Overseas Chinese – Taking the Spreading of “Chinese New Year” Short Videos as an Example

Abstract

In the digital era, social media platforms provide overseas Chinese communities with a stage for self-expression and emotional interaction, transforming traditional nostalgia into an externalized digital form. This paper focuses on the platform-based expression of digital nostalgia among overseas Chinese, specifically through the presentation of “Chinese New Year” short videos. Through textual analysis, the study examines the characteristics of these videos in terms of narrative elements, symbol usage, and emotional expression. The analysis reveals that “Chinese New Year” short videos possess characteristics such as the freshness of narrative element collisions, the immersive feeling of audio-visual symbols fusion, and the creation of emotional value through a common “language”. Additionally, the study conduct in-depth interviews with eleven vloggers studying or working overseas to analyze the practical significance of the emotional community formed through the platform-based expression of digital nostalgia for individual self-identification, group identification, and cultural identification. The paper argues that the formation of a digital nostalgia community is beneficial for individual identification, the development of group belonging, and the deeper aggregation of community for the Chinese nation. What’s more, overseas Chinese are playing increasingly important roles in the global communication of Chinese culture, and they will exert more significance on China’s international communication in the upcoming future.