User-generated “feminism” on BiliBili: Nationalism, Internet culture, and platform dynamics in digital China

This study examines how digital nationalism distorts the articulation of feminism on China’s popular video-sharing platform, BiliBili. Through a discourse analysis of the 100 most-viewed user-generated videos tagged with “feminism” ( nüquan ), we find that BiliBili’s unique sociotechnical context, functioning both as a cultural platform and as a conduit for state propaganda, creates a space where various forms of nationalism—including anti-consumerism, anti-Western liberalism, and Sinocentric nationalism/chauvinism toward East Asian neighbors—intersect with discussions of feminism. Consequently, feminism on BiliBili gains virality only insofar as it does not appear “contradictory” to state-sponsored ideological slogans, norms, and notions of national identity. This article demonstrates how a seemingly participatory and free discursive space for user-generated content can, in fact, constrain women’s agency in negotiating the very concept of feminism, limiting their ability to articulate struggles and diversify narratives.