Behind the Mirror: How Advertising Culture was Affected and Changed in Douyin

The ubiquitous use of TikTok may be have a substantial impact on human culture. However, few studies have explored its advertising effects. This study focuses on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) to investigate it’s advertising culture from the perspective of the production of advertising rather than ‘semiotic’ analysis of advertising images and text. We discovered that the advertising culture in Douyin has evolved into a novel type, where users and creators actively participate in the advertising creation process through the technological and platform resources provided by Douyin. Moreover, we have developed a conceptual framework, advertising culture ecosystems, highlighting the comprehensive and diverse advertising channels available in Douyin. Significantly, not only do advertisers, creators, and users engage with each other, but individual advertisements also interact with one another, generating numerous cultural products that are driven by advertising. This research sheds light on the dynamic and interactive nature of advertising culture in Douyin, and it opens up new avenues for understanding the relationship between technology, advertising, and culture. The study also underscores the importance of examining production-oriented perspectives when studying emerging cultural phenomena in the digital advertising.