Media Shaping Heroes: An Analysis of Chinese Public’s Media Consumption and Heroic Identification

Abstract

Heroism serves as the banner showcasing the sublime spirit of the Chinese nation, and constructing a societal identity rooted in heroism is a crucial reference for the successful continuation of heroism in the new era. Moreover, media consumption plays a pivotal role in influencing public identification with heroism. From the perspective of cultivation theory, this study surveyed 511 respondents nationwide, utilizing quantitative measurements and empirical analysis through linear regression equations. The results indicate that there is a significant positive correlation between the media usage of the Chinese public and their social identification with heroism, impacting cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions differently. Additionally, traditional media is the main force in shaping this identification. Concurrently, there are evident generational differences in the public’s heroic social identity, with the memory of heroes in the new media era showing a trend of "intergenerational decline." Future research should explore how to effectively use media to transmit the spirit of heroism and promote value integration. This includes optimizing media content, formats, and communication strategies to meet the needs of different audiences and enhancing the public’s deep understanding and recognition of heroism.

Keywords:

• Heroic societal identification
• evaluation indicator system
• media consumption
• media memory
• heroes

Disclosure Statement

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

Data Availability Statement

The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Additional information

Funding

The work was funded by A Study on the Construction of a New Pattern of Global Communication from the Perspective of Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations, the National Social Science Fund project (Grant No. 24ZJQN091YB) and A Study on the Construction of Chinese native theory system of algorithm propagation under the background of artificial intelligence technology, the National Social Science Fund project (Grant No. 23&ZD214).

Notes on contributors

Peng Shao

Peng Shao, Ph.d. He is the dean of the Future Media Research Institute of Zhejiang University of Technology, executive dean of the Zhejiang Institute of Innovative Theoretical Communication, and deputy director of the Zhejiang Network Ecology Research Center. He received his doctorate from the School of Media and International Culture of Zhejiang University. He is currently mainly engaged in research in the fields of global communication, media memory, and media society.

Zhongjing Pan

Zhongjing Pan, Master. He studied at the School of Humanities of Zhejiang University of Technology. He is mainly engaged in research on media memory and media society.

Jiaqi Bi

Jiaqi Bi, Master. She studied at the School of Humanities of Zhejiang University of Technology. She is mainly engaged in research on media memory and media society.

Zhi Li

Zhi Li, Associate professor, PhD. He works at the School of Media and Law of NingboTech University . He graduated from Macau University of Science and Technology, and is currently engaged in research in global communication, media governance, and media society.