Orientalism and whiteness in the digital age: Western microcelebrities and the circuit of culture in Chinese social media

This article analyzes cultural processes in Western microcelebrities’ cross-cultural short video production on a Chinese video-sharing platform using the circuit of culture as a theoretical framework. Taking a new look at Orientalism and Occidentalism in the digital age, this article suggests, in contrast to traditional Orientalists, that Western microcelebrities attempt to blur the line between the West and the East and the identity binaries of Self and Other and create relatively positive representations of China. While this is perceived as objective and authentic by some Chinese viewers, others scrutinize and critique white privilege and Occidental beliefs in Chinese digital spaces. The intersection of various factors such as whiteness, nationality, and economic status has given rise to the discursive power of white Western microcelebrity in China, which is strategically harnessed by Chinese officials for nation branding.