Performing the ideal scholar-self: Interplay between digital trans-literacies and neoliberal academic identity in overseas Chinese PhD student vlogs

Abstract

In an era where academic identity is increasingly shaped by digital platforms, this study investigates how overseas Chinese PhD students utilize academic life vlogs on Xiaohongshu to perform the “ideal scholar-self” amid neoliberal academic pressures. While prior research has explored doctoral identity in institutional or text-based social media contexts, little attention has been paid to how students construct academic personae through the multimodal, affectively rich genre of vlogs. This study analyzes 49 vlogs produced by six Chinese doctoral students based in the UK and Hong Kong, employing multimodal discourse analysis and digital ethnography through the lens of Digital Trans-literacies (DTL), which denotes the ability to orchestrate linguistic, visual, emotional, and platform-specific resources to construct meaning and identity. Findings reveal that vloggers curate aspirational academic selves by performing self-discipline, productivity, emotional resilience, and personal growth, aligning with neoliberal ideals. Yet these performances also stage burnout, anxiety, and irony, subtly resisting dominant discourses. The “ideal scholar-self” functions as a powerful reference point for identity construction, while the vlogger persona operates simultaneously as a curator of academic life and a coping mechanism, enabling students to assert legitimacy and seek recognition within both academic and digital communities.