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Exploration of Audience Engagement and Activation Paths of Intangible Cultural Heritage Under Media Representation on Short-Video Platforms

Xueli Cao
Vol. 6, No. 10, pp. 150-155, 2026 DOI: 10.54691/0yjemf80 October 19, 2026
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Abstract.The rapid development of short-video platforms has fundamentally changed the communication landscape, bringing unprecedented opportunities and major challenges to the protection and transmission of intangible cultural heritage (ICH). This research conducts a comprehensive theoretical and critical analysis on the mechanism of audience engagement and sustained activation pathways of intangible cultural assets within the framework of media representation of contemporary short video platforms. Based on critical heritage studies, participatory culture theory, platform studies, algorithmic governance research, surveillance capitalism frameworks and communicative mediatisation paradigms, this study explores how algorithmic curation, micro-narrative visual framing and interactive participatory dynamics reconfigure the public perception, emotional resonance and cultural consumption of traditional heritage practices. It also responds to fundamental concerns about commodification, shallow decontextualisation and marginalisation of legitimate community knowledge bearers. The paper proposes a multi-dimensional activation framework, consisting of community-centred digital stewardship, transmedia narrative contextualisation, co-creative audience engagement, and platform-mediated value co-creation, to keep living heritage vibrant, resilient, and socially meaningful in the digital era.
Keywords. Intangible cultural heritage; short-video platforms; audience engagement; media representation; cultural activation; participatory culture.
APA Citation Xueli Cao (2026). Exploration of Audience Engagement and Activation Paths of Intangible Cultural Heritage Under Media Representation on Short-Video Platforms. Frontiers in Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(10), 150-155. https://doi.org/10.54691/0yjemf80

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