Communicating via gold medal: Chinese Olympic athletes’ visual self-presentation on the social media platform Douyin

Abstract

While many athletes utilize social media for personal image shaping and brand management, limited research has focused on the self-presentation of athletes in video-based social networks, specifically short videos. This study investigated the visual self-presentation of Chinese Olympic athletes on Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok. The findings of this study indicate that these athletes tend to prioritize presenting their professional lives through front-stage performances rather than showcasing their personal lives through backstage performances. This diverges from previous studies that examined the self-presentation strategies of Western athletes on social media. Gender differences in self-presentation have also been observed among these athletes. The study reveals that their self-presentation in short videos is significantly influenced by a power dynamic centered on their performance, particularly their Olympic achievements. These outcomes potentially represent an unconventional demonstration of male sports hegemony on social media and underscore the notable impact of China’s national sports system, known as “Juguotizhi,” on the culture of sports-related social media. This study sheds light on a distinctive aspect of Chinese sports in the social media era, which has garnered limited scholarly scrutiny.

Keywords:

• social media
• short video
• self-presentation
• Chinese athlete
• gender difference
• Douyin

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable feedback on this paper. We also extend our thanks to the editors for their efficient and professional handling of the manuscript. Furthermore, we acknowledge the National Communication Association 108th Annual Convention for providing feedback that helped improve this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflicts of interest were reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Chuanlin Ning

Chuanlin Ning (MA, City University of Hong Kong) is a PhD candidate in the School of Media and Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His research interests include sports communication, health communication, and media sociology. He is currently primarily conducting a study on sports communication specifically focused on the Olympic Games.

Ruomu Miao

Ruomu Miao (MA, China Film Art Research Center) is a PhD candidate in the School of Media and Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Her research interests include social media, film and television communication, and audio-visual communication.

Tianyi Wang

Tianyi Wang (MFA, Communication University of China) is a PhD candidate in the School of Media and Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Her research interests include social media, voice communication, and interpersonal communication.