We situate our findings with prior research on technology non-use, and provide design implications for future video-based social media.īy reviewing the development of the Chinese Shadow Play, summing up the characteristics, to explore the limitations and find out the reason.

Those who are using Douyin and those who choose to quit Douyin have different perceptions of the efficacy of Douyin’s recommendation algorithms. Those who choose not to use Douyin are mostly motivated by the fear of addiction, or the stigmatized perceptions of videos on Douyin that deemed low-quality. Our results show that various perceptions of these users shape diverse practices of engagement with and disengagement from Douyin. To address this, we conducted a survey study with Internet users in China (N = 192), focusing specifically on Douyin and those who have abandoned or never adopted Douyin. Although prior research has explored how and why users watch short-form videos, relatively little research has studied those who choose not to use Douyin. The recommendation algorithms of these applications form a “ludic loop” for users – the more users watch videos, the better the algorithms work, and the more users are exposed to content of their interest. These video sharing platforms have transformed how users consume online content in a drastic way. Short-form video sharing mobile applications like TikTok (Douyin) have been gaining traction globally in recent years. In the hope that this research could contribute to the revitalizing and sustaining the continuity of this ancient Chinese folk art.KeywordsChinese shadow puppetr圜ultural inheritance and disseminationTik TokUser studies The findings from this research offer optimization strategies for disseminating shadow puppetry via Tik Tok, which fills up the existing research gaps. This research analysed: 1) the features of shadow puppetry short video creators 2) the characteristics of popular shadow puppetry short videos 3) the plight of shadow puppetry dissemination via Tik Tok. Through data analysis, this research gains a better understanding of user behaviour and engagement about shadow puppetry.

Motivated by the potential of Tik Tok as an effective media for the dissemination of shadow puppetry, this research used the data mining method to collect the 47 shadow puppetry creators’ public data on Tik Tok and selected highly ranked 60 videos tagged with “shadow puppetry” as research samples. As the most downloaded short video mobile application (APP) in China, Tik Tok provides traditional culture an opportunity to re-express in a young and fashionable way. The loss of audiences and inheritors makes this ancient art fall into a problematic inheritance and development situation. The carving and performance skills of shadow puppetry are time-consuming and laborious, fewer young apprentices are willing to learn it. However, due to the influence of popular culture and western art forms, shadow puppetry cannot meet modern audiences’ aesthetic and entertainment needs anymore. Shadow puppetry (Piyingxi), the artistic form of “shadow” and “light”, has more than two thousand years of history in China.

Chinese shadow puppetry