The power of media: the indirect impact of media use on ethnic Tibetans’ Chinese national identity

ABSTRACT

An ethnically diverse society calls for an in-depth understanding of national identity construction. This study investigates the perception of Chinese national identity among a group of ethnic Tibetans living in Southwest China. It identifies an indirect relationship between Chinese media use and Chinese national identity through the mediation of media trust and the moderation of age. The moderated mediation model shows that media use does not directly affect the perception of Chinese national identity among the ethnic Tibetans. Instead, it is indirectly related to Chinese national identity via media trust. The relationship between media trust and Chinese national identity is also moderated by a respondent’s age, with the relationship stronger among younger than among older respondents. The moderated mediation model is significant after controlling for respondents’ gender, general education, religiosity, perceived discrimination, bilingual education and peer influence.

KEYWORDS:

• National identity
• Tibetans
• imagined communities
• Chinese media
• media trust

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yu Zhou

Yu Zhou is an associate professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, South China University of Technology. His research investigates a variety of media effects, including news, sports and health information.

Tao Sun

Tao Sun is an associate professor at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Vermont. His current research interests cover cross-cultural consumer behavior and international media development.

Bu Zhong

Bu Zhong is a professor at School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University and Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University. He is also an affiliate professor at College of Information Sciences and Technology, Pennsylvania State University. His research applies decision-making theories to the analysis of information processing and its effects on behavior, cognition, mental health, and social well-being.

Luzhuoma Yang

Luzhuoma Yang graduated from South China University of Technology in 2020 with a MA in Communication. She currently works for the private industry in China. Her research interests mainly focus on new media and culture.