Fluid Modernity and Virtual Communities: An Analysis of the Popularity of MBTI on Social Media

This paper, rooted in Zygmunt Baumans theory of modernity, examines the formation of virtual communities and the characteristics of liquid modernity as manifested in the widespread phenomenon of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) on social media. As a psychological assessment tool, MBTI has pervaded social media platforms, engendering virtual communities characterized by high fluidity and consumerist tendencies. Through participatory observation and online ethnography, this study delves into the MBTI virtual communities on the "Xiaohongshu" platform, exploring their consumerism-driven formation mechanisms and cultural attributes. In modern society, virtual communities exhibit dynamic stability and structural elasticity, with identity constantly being reshaped and redefined within these virtual spaces. The popularity of MBTI underscores the anxieties surrounding identity in contemporary society and reflects the liquid nature of modern identity formation. Under the influence of technology and consumerism, virtual communities have emerged as a significant social form in modern society.