Feminism as an Educational Strategy
First, researchers accentuate the importance of women in Xiaohongshu in content creation and the attraction of new users. This social platform is notable for the disproportionate domination of female users. Tang (2019, 52) notes that the majority of vloggers and bloggers on Xiaohongshu are women. According to He (2022, 50), the majority of content in this network encompasses topics such as skincare, makeup, fashion, and other areas primarily consumed by women. As a result, there is a consensus among researchers that all ideas spread on Xiaohongshu target female users, but it is the network itself is not political.
Then, Zhang et al. debated the opinion mentioned above stating that Xiaohongshu is politicized because the most influential viewpoint on Xiaohongshu is feminism. Guo (2021, 4) argues that feminism is propagated both consciously and unconsciously by bloggers who post content praising various feminine qualities. Users, especially young girls, are particularly susceptible to the exposure of ideas expressed by their preferred celebrities. Even though Zhang et al. (2021, 6) argue that such content can also hurt psychological well-being, it is effective in attracting young women and teaching feminist values to them. Subsequently, researchers agree that feminism is an important part of users’ socialization on Xiaohongshu.
Here is what I want to tell them – it is possible to use the feminist viewpoint as an educational strategy targeting young users on Xiaohongshu. As much as celebrities on social media can inadvertently promote irrational consumption, vloggers can use these platforms to instill reasonable consumerism behaviors. It is also important to understand that the feminist worldview is also opposed to the culture, which emphasizes excessive consumerism (Schulz 2017, 90). By following a certain celebrity on Xiaohongshu, young users are exposed to ideas promoting both feminine values and moderate consumerism.
Peer Influence as a Pressure Point
First, researchers point out the importance of peer opinion in young people’s decision-making. A commonly expressed idea is that social media negatively affects teenagers due to their lack of experience in sorting information (Odgers and Jensen 2020, 340). After all, mental health issues following social media use are a recurring concern among young people (Zhang et al. 2021, 5). Therefore, social media are presented as the reason for teenagers’ mental issues.
Then, researchers believe that the more specific reason why young people are negatively impacted lies in peer pressure. For instance, He (2022, 51) points to research that advocates for social media as an effective socialization tool and uses Xiaohongshu as an example. At the same time, Ojo and Yemi (2021, 50) argue that peer perception is the most important source of influence for teenagers. This idea is further developed by Ju (2022, 622) who points out that the motivation behind young people’s interest in social networks is often the desire not to diverge from peers. Finally, Hu, Xiayu, and Davison. (2019, 300) write that peer influence is especially important in Xiaohongshu, as most reposts and shares are done by peers and their friends. Therefore, social networks acquire new users by channeling peer influence.
Here is what I want to tell them – the importance of peer influence and the harm of social media do not contradict each other. When teenagers use Xiaohongshu, they seek social approval and a boost to their self-esteem. The more young people feel in line with the activities and behaviors that their peers engage in, the more adequate they feel. Although blindly following peer influence may result in the promotion of negative ideas, it is not necessarily always the case. As a result, it is also possible to use peer influence to instill reasonable consumerism in young users.
Income as the Main Determinant of Influence
First, Odgers and Jensen (2020, 337) emphasize the importance personal finances have in users’ acceptance of ideas propagated by celebrities on social media. The recurring idea among researchers is that social commerce made available through social media may lead to the emergence of impulsive purchase behavior (Hu, Xiayu, and Davison. 2019, 297). The explanation for this assumption is that teenagers have difficulty distinguishing between real life and the images transmitted by bloggers and celebrities (Odgers and Jensen 2020, 340). Essentially, a user is incentivized to follow the behaviors of their preferred celebrities.
Then, there is also evidence that not all such messages are effective in forcing people to buy products. For instance, the analysis made by Tang (2019, 51) shows that only children of wealthy families engaged in buying behaviors following the encouragement of bloggers on social networks, including Xiaohongshu. Meanwhile, teenagers from poorer families showed more restraint in succumbing to compulsive purchasing. This finding is important because it showcases how accentuating one’s socio-economic background is effective in teaching reasonable consumerism. As much as social media incentivizes users to buy, the same content can educate them on the values of financial self-control.
Here is what I want to tell them – it is evident that the context of a user’s life greatly influences how they perceive messages on social media. The ideas propagated by celebrities are not as important as the values shared by peers. Meanwhile, economic background is the most effective precursor of one’s purchasing behavior. Xiaohongshu is extremely diverse regarding the type of content and social messages spread via posts and images (Chen et al. 2022, 630). If a feminist perspective is accompanied by proper socioeconomic status and peer influence, a young person using Xiaohongshu learns the value of reasonable consumerism.
References
Chen, Chuyue, Haitao Ouyang, Jiaqi Tan, Fan Wu, and Yuqian Zhan. 2022. “Based on COVID-19, Analysis of the Strategic Model of E-commerce Enterprises—A Case Study of Xiaohongshu (RED).” Psychology 12 (8): 628-636.
Guo, Jia. 2022. “The Postfeminist Entrepreneurial Self and the Platformisation of Labour: A Case Study of Yesheng Female Lifestyle Bloggers on Xiaohongshu.” Global Media and China 7 (3): 1-16.
He, Zongwen. 2022. “How to Get Out of The Commercialization Maze of A Professional” Grass-Planting” Content Community: The Commercialization of Xiaohongshu’s” Filter”.” Frontiers in Business, Economics and Management 4 (2): 48-51.
Odgers, Candice L., and Michaeline R. Jensen. 2020. “Annual Research Review: Adolescent Mental Health in the Digital Age: Facts, Fears, and Future Directions.” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 61 (3): 336-348.
Ojo, Funmilayo Yemi, and F. Yemi. 2021. “A Psychological Perspective of Parent and Peer Influence during Adolescence: A Critical Review of the Existing Literature.” International Journal of Education and Research 9 (5): 45-54.
Hu, Xi, Xiayu Chen, and Robert M. Davison. 2019. “Social support, Source Credibility, Social Influence, and Impulsive Purchase Behavior in Social Commerce.” International Journal of Electronic Commerce 23 (3): 297-327.
Ju, Ran. 2022. “Producing Entrepreneurial Citizens: Governmentality over and through Hong Kong Influencers on Xiaohongshu (Red).” Policy & Internet 14: 618-632.
Schulz, Patricia. 2017. “Universal Basic Income in a Feminist Perspective and Gender Analysis.” Global Social Policy 17 (1): 89-92.
Tang, Ruyi. 2019. “On Exploring the Influence of Vloggers in China.” The Business & Management Review 10 (2): 49-55.
Zhang, Xiaoxiao, Wuchang Zhu, Shaojing Sun, and Jingxi Chen. 2021. “Does Influencers Popularity Matter? An Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Influencers on Body Satisfaction and Mood Among Young Chinese Females: The Case of RED (Xiaohongshu).” Frontiers in Psychology 12 (26): 1-8.