Date of Award

Spring 6-14-2025

Document Type

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Degree Name

B.A. in Chinese

Organizational Unit

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Languages and Literatures

First Advisor

Wayne Yeung

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Keywords

Digital Cold War, Participatory propaganda, Bilibili, Algorithmic nationalism, Bullet comments (弹幕 / dànmù), User agency, Ideological reinterpretation, Chinese digital nationalism, State-aligned narratives, Geopolitical influence operations, Recontextualization of Western media, Century of humiliation

Abstract

This thesis examines Bilibili, a Chinese video-sharing platform originally known for its anime, comics, and gaming (ACG) content, as a critical site for the formation and circulation of nationalist discourse in the context of a “New Cold War” between the United States and China. As ideological rivalry increasingly shifts from traditional state media and military posturing to decentralized digital platforms, Bilibili offers a unique case study in how propaganda evolves in participatory online spaces. Through a combination of digital ethnography and discourse analysis, this research explores how Bilibili’s algorithmic infrastructure, comment culture (弹幕), and remix-oriented design allow users to not only consume, but also co-produce and localize state-aligned ideological narratives. Focusing on the platform’s reinterpretations of Western media (particularly the reception of Childish Gambino’s This Is America music video) and engagement with geopolitical topics like NATO, this study reveals how Bilibili enables a hybrid model of propaganda that blends state influence with user agency. These interactions generate emotionally resonant and culturally embedded narratives that reinforce Chinese nationalism, not through top-down imposition, but through selective amplification and participatory consensus. This thesis argues that such a model represents a significant evolution in global propaganda practices, wherein digital nationalism becomes both affective and interactive, blurring the boundaries between entertainment, ideology, and statecraft in the 21st-century information landscape.

Copyright Date

5-27-2025

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

William G. Highfill

Provenance

Received from author

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

34 pgs

File Size

457 KB

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