Original
Chinese Intellectual Influencers and the Construction of Algorithmized Nationalism: The Case of Jinri Toutiao
Abstract
This study examines how intellectual influencers (wanghong zhishifenzi) contribute to ‘algorithmized nationalism’ on Chinese digital platforms. Through an analysis of 14 high-traffic intellectual accounts and their high-performing videos in Jinri Toutiao (one of China’s largest digital platforms), we argue that these figures actively construct a type of nationalism that is both vocally aggressive and politically conservative, tailored to the platform’s algorithmic recommendation systems. By managing personas, mobilizing emotions, and embellishing facts, they cater to popular sentiment while accruing personal influence and amplifying state-aligned narratives. Their practices signal a new mode of nationalist discourse production, where platform logic, state power, and intellectual performance converge. This dynamic reshapes both Chinese nationalism and the adapted role of intellectuals, who now negotiate influence within algorithmically mediated spaces of discourse.
中文
中国网红知识分子与算法化民族主义的建构：以今日头条为例
摘要
本研究考察知识型网红（网红知识分子）如何在中国数字平台上促成“算法化民族主义”。通过分析14个高流量知识分子账号及其在今日头条（中国最大数字平台之一）上的高表现视频，我们认为，这些人物积极建构了一种既在言辞上具有攻击性、又在政治上趋于保守的民族主义，并使之契合平台的算法推荐系统。他们通过经营人设、调动情感和修饰事实来迎合大众情绪，同时积累个人影响力并放大与国家立场一致的叙事。他们的实践标志着一种民族主义话语生产的新模式，其中平台逻辑、国家权力与知识分子表演相互汇合。这一动态重塑了中国民族主义以及知识分子的调适性角色——后者如今在算法中介的话语空间中协商影响力。
关键词
算法化民族主义、网红知识分子、今日头条、数字平台、民族主义、平台逻辑、国家权力、知识分子角色