An analysis of how Chinese Netizens, especially men, react to feminismthrough social media

Abstract

With the advancement of technology in recent years, social media has become an increasingly significant part of people’s everyday lives, while feminism is beginning to be recognized as the flow of information becomes more accessible. However, unlike in the West, different Chinese have varying perspectives and views of feminism; some interpret it as a female advantage, while others see it as a remedy to help Chinese women awaken. By commenting on the work of gender-specific bloggers who share knowledge and content about feminism on Douyin (Chinese “Tiktok”), this study investigates how different types of people, particularly men, respond differently to feminism from three different perspectives. According to the data, the public mainly addresses bloggers through sexualization, ad hominem attacks, and patriarchal dismissiveness. With these three characteristics in mind, different men view bloggers who support feminism differently, resulting in more or less diverse remarks for or against them. This study categorizes comments from various guys under various bloggers’ works presenting feminism in Douyin (China’s “TikTok”) and teaches viewers how to differentiate and recognize their categories.