短视频传播下城市意象的媒介化构建

Background The rapid development of media technology and media environment provides rich resources and convenient ways to shape the image of the city. Short video has become an important help to shape the image of the city and build the city brand. How to use short video to shape the image of the city is the key link of urban construction. This study focuses on six primary variables for analyzing city image short videos: unexpected events, emotional resonance, scene transition, elemental amplification, element interaction, and screen style. These variables were selected based on their demonstrated impact on short video engagement and dissemination efficiency. How In order to realize comprehensive analysis of short video content, This study collected 20,668 video screenshots from the Douyin platform as data samples. Data collection spanned July 2019 to December 2019, and analysis was conducted using the Python programming language with the Pandas and Matplotlib libraries for data processing and visualization. Objective To reveal the relationship between video content features and popularity by quantitative and visual methods, and to provide reference for optimizing urban brand promotion strategies. Conclusion (1) The microcube model shows strong flexibility and applicability in short video content analysis, and can help reveal the complex relationship between short video content characteristics and communication effect. (2) Unexpected events and emotional resonance are key factors in the attractiveness and communication effect of short videos. Reasonable design of scene switching and element interaction significantly enhances the visual impact of short videos.

City imagery is essential for enhancing city characteristics and disseminating city identity. As an emerging medium, short videos can intuitively reflect people’s perception of complex urban environment. In this study, we proposed a short video-driven deep learning perception framework to sense city imagery. To quantitatively deconstruct spatial imagery of urban space, deep neural network is used for pixel-level semantic segmentation. K-means clustering and hierarchical clustering analysis are carried out to extract and reveal the spatial imagery characteristics at the landmark level and the city level. Taking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Great Bay Area (GBA) as the study area, an experiment was carried out with TikTok short videos. The results showed that (1) the spatial imagery of the GBA cities are divided into four categories: Green Waterfront, including Jiangmen, Huizhou, Zhuhai, Zhaoqing, and Zhongshan; Humanistic Capital, including Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Foshan; Modern Green City, including Shenzhen and Dongguan; Sky City, that is, Macao; (2) the landmark imagery in GBA can be characterized into five groups: Green Water and Blue Sky, Ancient Architecture of Greenery, Modern Architecture, Staggered Roads, and Urban Green Lung. It further investigated spatial distribution of landmark-level spatial imagery. These results prove the feasibility of sensing city imagery with short videos and provide useful insights into city imagery studies. It provides a new approach for understanding and spreading the city imagery over Internet.

The concept of urban communication bred in the new media era takes short video platforms as the vehicle for emerging Internet-famous cities. The internal relationship between the communication strategy and development orientation of urban communication and the image practice and performance space of short videos is worth studying. Taking Chongqing and Xi’an as the research objects, this paper explores the operation mode and communication concept of urban space in the new media era from the perspectives of communication origin, user participation, and in-depth communication. The research shows that the advent of mobile short-video platforms offers a new vehicle and channel for the communication and reconstruction of urban space and enriches the audience’s cognition of city images.

—With the rapid development of mobile short videos, city image oriented short videos that are discovered, produced, and disseminated from user perspectives are increasing, which not only enriches the multiple connotations of city image but also dissolves the integrity of city image to a certain extent. In this paper, it is believed that the positivity of multiple subjects to participate in the construction and dissemination of city image should be fully mobilized , forming a joint force for dissemination to help the healthy development of the city image in mobile short videos.

In the context of global digital communication, city image has become an integral component of national image construction. This study focuses on videos related to Lianyungang city on the YouTube platform and employs a combination of textual analysis and comment keyword analysis to systematically investigate the dissemination of city image. The analytical framework is structured around three dimensions: digital spatial representation, cultural expression, and emotional interaction, examining the interplay between visual narrative strategies, symbol selection, and audience engagement. The findings indicate that city image dissemination is characterized by multi-stakeholder participation, dynamic generation, and a competitive process of meaning-making. This study provides theoretical insights and practical implications for evaluating and optimizing the international communication of Chinese city images in the digital platform environment.

With the boom of the short video industry in recent years, cities with tremendous internet influences have witnessed rapid growth attributable to the rise of short video platforms where cuisinethemed short videos have become a new channel for the communication of a city’s image. On one of the platforms, TikTok, there exists a huge gap in terms of communication performance among cuisine-themed short videos of different kinds. Taking content analysis as the tool, this paper is engaged with the quantitative analysis of the content characteristics, food types, city image, video length and language characteristics of the short videos themed on Beijing cuisines that go viral on the Internet with the coded information extracted from the top 30 related short videos with most likes published on TikTok, so as to investigate their commonalities and shared features. An in-depth analysis is provided as the result with specific cases taken into account to propose for the production and communication of similar videos and to provide certain references for the construction and communication of the image of corresponding cities.

… focuses on the Urban Image short videos published by the … Urban Images are primarily presented in these short videos? … loop in city communication within the short-video context, …

… The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative … The contribution of this study is to demonstrate, with a city-wide comparative design, that …

In recent years, short-form video news has grown influential in local journalism due to its rapid dissemination and strong interactivity, with how it cultivates a sense of place and deepens users’ local identification and participation becoming a key concern. This study examines the mechanisms of place sense construction and their communicative effects on short-form video news. Drawing on content from multiple municipal TV stations, it employs a literature review, case studies, and data collection. The findings reveal a four-dimensional interactive framework- “spatial reconstruction, emotional resonance, people-oriented negotiation, and governance feedback”-that turns “nearby” into public issues, enhances regional agenda-setting, and strengthens grassroots governance. Specifically, short-form videos reconfigure microgeographic space via “proximate symbols,” integrate political and livelihood narratives for accessibility, and blend arguments to expand discussion, with their rapid response and rumour-debunking capacity further boosting regional agenda-setting, offering innovative value for local communication and references for urban media strategy optimization.

… in and use of urban space and on a representational level through producing and circulating an alternative urban imagery. Over the past 10 years, the UE imagery has been spreading …

We are today increasingly experiencing the city through interfaces of platforms like Google Maps, Instagram, TripAdvisor, Airbnb, and Yelp. As our very sense of the city is shaped by these technological interfaces, the media are acquiring a constitutive role in reshaping contemporary urbanity. To conceptualize how media represent urban change, this paper draws on media studies and particularly the concept of “mediatization.” The paper studies the changing media representations of the gentrification of Rio de Janeiro’s favela Vidigal over fifteen years across different media. Using computational methods and interpretative analysis, we find that global media representations represented Vidigal as a site for adventure and investment. However, the media representations are far from monolithic. At one moment, they mobilize cosmopolitan fascination with the “other,” promoting slum tourism gentrification. At the next, they amplify critiques of gentrification and local protests against displacement. We argue that media representations are driven by their own variegated forces and cultures, which are increasingly coming to shape the dynamics of urban imaginaries.

This editorial introduces the subject matter of the thematic issue, which includes a diverse collection of contributions from authors in various disciplines including, history, architecture, planning, sociology and geography. Within the context of mediatisation processes—and the increased use of ever-expanding I&C technologies—communication has undergone profound changes. As such, this thematic issue will discuss how far (digital) media tools and their social uses in urban design and planning have impacted the visualisation of urban imaginations and how urban futures are thereby communicatively produced. Referring to an approach originating from the media and communication sciences, the authors begin with an outline of the core concepts of mediatisation and digitalisation. They suggest how the term ‘visualisation’ can be conceived and, against this background, based upon the sociological approach of communicative constructivism, a proposal is offered, which diverges from traditional methods of conceptualising visualisations: Instead, it highlights the need for a greater consideration towards the active role of creators (e.g., planners) and recipients (e.g., stakeholders) as well as the distinctive techniques of communication involved (e.g., a specific digital planning tools). The authors in this issue illustrate how communicative construction, particularly the visual construction of urban futures, can be understood, depending upon the kind of social actors as well as the means of communication involved. The editorial concludes with a summary of the main arguments and core results presented.

… in mediatization theory to analyze the interwoven processes through which urban space is … that control which city images, urban stories, and cultural forms are seen and affirmed. …

City image is also the carrier and external manifestation of city culture.Based on the theory of city image communication and social media data, this study constructs the categories of city cultural image and symbol carrier.Taking X city as an example, combining the statistical analysis method and the theme extraction model constructed by TF-IDF, TextRank and LDA algorithm, we analyze the characteristics of the cultural image and symbol dynamics of X city, and further analyze the audience's emotional tendency.The overall city cultural image of X city is positive, with the content of humanistic image and social image as the main content, and the content of humanistic image is mainly the historical attractions and traditional culture, which account for about one percent of the total.The humanistic image is mainly about historical attractions and traditional culture, accounting for 48.3% and 40.8% respectively, and the social civilization style accounts for 91.4% of the content of the social image.The symbols of the city are mainly landscape scenery and food, but lack original music and technological facility symbols.45.6% of the audience conveyed positive emotions towards the city's cultural image, while 30.2% and 17.6% of the audience conveyed neutral and negative emotions.We should continue to dig deeper into the city's cultural symbols, create high-quality content, and utilize social media platforms to promote the construction and dissemination of the city's cultural image.

The city on social media has become a hot topic in the study of city communication and city image. From the perspective of spatial theory and the communication characteristics of social media, this paper divides the spatial imagery of TikTok into three spaces: material space-cognitive attention, mental space-mental association, and relational space-emotional involvement. Based on the content analysis of 40 videos, we analyze the process of social media using cognition, association, and emotion as the starting points to increase the material space, expand the mental space, and expand the relational space. We find that spatial imagery can be co-constructed from the material space, mental space, and relational space. Lastly, the model is changed, and the value of using spatial theory to understand how city images are made is talked about.

Short videos have become an important medium to spread and promote the city image. Based on the visual narrative theoretical framework of multimodal discourse analysis, this paper selects three representative popular short videos related to Tiktok on the platform and analyzes the visual narrative meaning of short videos of the city image of Beijing from three levels: representation meaning, interaction meaning and composition meaning. The article focuses on various language forms in short videos, including text, images, music, etc., analyzing how these modalities are intertwined. The study found that these videos present the urban image of Beijing, which combines traditional and modern elements, a dream chasing city, and a sense of national pride and belonging. This provides reference for other cities to enhance their urban image in the dissemination of short videos.

ABSTRACT In the digital age, cities around the world are mobilizing various symbolic resources to rebrand their images through social media. Against this background, this study investigates how Xi’an, a second-tier developing city in China, constructs its digitalized urban imaginary using the popular social media platform of TikTok. A semiotic framework is developed to model Xi’an’s urban imaginary as evaluative attributes and to elucidate how they are constructed through linguistic and visual resources in short videos on TikTok. The analysis of 294 videos shows that Xi’an highlights its dual identity as a modern metropolis and a historical city. The modern metropolis image is characterized by the personification of Xi’an as a stylish, young, popular, and international microcelebrity; the historical city image is constructed through recreating the Great Tang dynasty and revitalizing local folk art. The characteristics of city branding discourse reflect China’s wanghong economy, urban policies and the affordances of social media.

… videos, this research offers a new perspective on symbolic communication and national image construction… interviewer positioned at the centre, using the urban landscape as a “stage.” …

… it into symbolic and economic capital. This paper offers novel insights for understanding the interactions between influencers and urban … The development of short-form video and live-…

… engagement through short videos. Moreover, these results underscored the significant role of social media platforms, especially short video apps, in shaping public perception of cities. …

ABSTRACT Social media closely links virtual and real spaces, and this connection can influence the distribution of a city’s imagery hotspots. This study used point of interest data and site visit data from Tiktok to compare the characteristics of two spatial imagery hotspot types in Changsha as influenced by social media in terms of type characteristics, distribution pattern, and spatial relationships at both the macro- and meso-scales. Using methods such as buffer analysis, hotspot analysis, and bivariate spatial autocorrelation to research on imagery hotspot distribution, correlation, and differentiation in virtual – real spatial interaction, the result shows the following: 1) The impact of social media on different types of the city image is not balanced, having a greater impact on architectural landmarks and commercial consumption; 2) The distribution characteristics of image hotspots in virtual space and real space does not align, virtual space is more in line with the development strategy of cities; 3) Social media has a polarizing effect on city image, but is also less constrained by spatial form; 4) Social media has a certain restructuring effect on city image, and grouped city image in two spatial clustering types – enhanced and diminishing image spaces.

This study investigates the impact of TikTok, a leading short video platform, on the construction and dissemination of urban image. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 17 participants, including municipal officials, professional content creators, and active users; the research explores how TikTok’s algorithmic curation, participatory culture, and immersive storytelling influence urban branding strategies and audience perceptions. The findings reveal that TikTok amplifies city visibility, fosters emotional and experiential connections, and facilitates a coexistence of official and grassroots narratives. However, challenges such as narrative fragmentation, algorithmic unpredictability, and content ephemerality complicate strategic image management. The study recommends collaborative approaches between city authorities and content creators, thematic consistency, and trend monitoring to optimize TikTok-based promotion. By integrating perspectives from media studies and urban branding, this research contributes to the understanding of short video platforms as transformative yet complex arenas for contemporary urban image-making, offering both theoretical insights and practical strategies for stakeholders in the digital communication era.

Abstract “The Image of the City” by Kevin Lynch is a landmark planning theory of lasting influence; its scientific rigor and relevance in the digital age were in dispute. The rise of social media and other digital technologies offers new opportunities to study the perception of urban environments. Questions remain as to whether social media analytics can provide a reliable measure of perceived city images? If yes, what implication does it hold for urban planners? This paper describes a study on the perception of city images using a combination of “big data” and “small data” methods in the Tri-City Region in Poland. The aims were to 1) test the hypothesis whether social media analytics can elicit Lynchian elements of city image in consistency with conventional methods, and 2) develop and evaluate social media-based indicators of Imageability for planning practice. Geo-tagged images and texts were collected from Instagram and Twitter, two popular social media platforms in Poland. Text-Mining, Image Processing, Clustering Analysis, Kernel Density Estimation, and Sentiment Analysis were used. Results were compared with benchmarks constructed from official GIS database, questionnaire responses and sketch maps. “District”, “landmark”, and “path” identified on social media were in good agreements with benchmarks, less so for “edge” and “node”. Two social media-based indicators have influenced the perception of a place: Instagramability, the frequency of a place captured on Instagram, was linked to its perception as an architectural landmark and tourist attraction, while Twitterability, the frequency of a place mentioned on Twitter by name, was linked to its perceived niceness and relevance to everyday life of communities. Methods developed in this study have theoretical and practical implications for urban planners.

Abstract Purpose This paper aims to analyze how vloggers use interactions of different modalities in transnational travel vlogs on YouTube to draw audiences’ attentions, as well as the impact of the socio-cultural context on the discourse of these vlogs and the represented city images. Design/methodology/approach This research project adopts a multimodal approach by using a new analytical framework based on provenance symbols in semiotics, appraisal systems, and visual grammar in linguistics as theoretical foundations. Findings Our research findings show that there are four dominant themes, including nature enjoyment, landmark visiting and street wandering, food tasting, and infrastructure evaluation in these vlogs. North American full-time vloggers with advanced skills and rich experience are the main contributors, which may lead to a fixed and biased representation of city images. The mechanism of city image formation, from cities’ physical existence to foreign viewers’ perception via transnational travel vlogs, has also been illustrated. Implications The city image exists in a dynamic landscape where online opinion leaders also hold significant discourse power. Though becoming more visible, cities are facing challenges related to the increasing homogenization of mediated images. The research findings also have practical implications for redefining approaches to the international communication of city images to diverse stakeholders including city administrators and travel vloggers. Originality/value This paper expands the scope of research on urban communication by adopting a comparative and global perspective. The new analytical framework can serve as a reference for future studies on new media content. Furthermore, the systematic mechanism of city image formation presented contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of new media in the international communication of city images.

Comparing to user-generated texts and photos, seldom research has examined visual destination images revealed in user-generated short videos. With the latest video artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to tag the contents of user-generated short videos, this study extracted destination images of two famous attractions, i.e., the Forbidden City and the Badaling Great Wall on Douyin platform, and compared the results between user-generated short videos and textual travel blogs. Our findings demonstrate the validity of our proposed video-AI based visual destination image extraction method and also suggest that short videos and textual travel blogs excel in different ways to reveal destination images. Our study provides a promising direction to study visual destination images for researchers and practitioners.

With the continuous advancement of urban modernization, the city has become an important node of global economic development and cultural exchange, and the competition among cities is inseparable from the shaping and dissemination of the city image. In recent years, Douyin short video has changed the way of media content production and dissemination with its own platform advantages, and has promoted the popularity of Xi'an, and boosted the image building of city brand rapidly. Therefore, from the perspective of "urban image communication", this paper uses content analysis, literature research and other research methods to explore the role of short video in urban image construction. Through the research of Xi'an urban image communication on Douyin short video platform, this paper discusses its strategies in content production and communication.

With the rise of the Internet, there is been a surge in the use of new media software. This study examines the role of the Douyin platform in facilitating government cultural and tourism promotion efforts. Focusing on the official account of Chongqing Cultural and Tourism, the study investigates how Douyin influences the effectiveness of government publicity campaigns, considering environmental, content, and technological factors. The findings highlight the official account's adoption of various strategies to harness social media for constructing and disseminating a more comprehensive city image. It covers a city's history, culture, and nature through the integration of individuals, organizations, and mass communication. This study has broader implications for government propaganda-related departments, providing valuable insights to inform the strategic conduct of future cultural and tourism promotion initiatives.

This chapter discusses how official organisations developed and maintained Wuhan’s online image based on the ‘text-vision-interaction’ analytical framework. The video contents, text, and audience comments published by cultural promotional organisation accounts in Wuhan on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) from 2019 to 2021 were analysed. Taking the closure of Wuhan on January 23rd, 2020 as the time node, it compares the local image formation before and after the pandemic. The official website accounts created the images of Wuhan around geographical elements such as natural landscape, regional development, history and culture. Anti-pandemic elements were added after COVID-19. Through discourse production based on ‘I’, the integration with the local cultural and tourism system and knowledge, the image of ‘Wuhan is a fantastic place’ was promoted. Using symbols and metaphors, the architectural and natural cultural landscapes and anti-pandemic images were presented. A new image of Wuhan as ‘prosperous and heroic’ was projected as a symbol of perseverance. With audience experience, identity and imagination, a personalised local image of Wuhan was created. The official organisations used the online media platform to produce a three-dimensional, dynamic, and positive image of Wuhan, which was based on internal perceptions and the city’s development status. This chapter provides theoretical and practical reflections on the development of local urban image in China and its communication to the international community which provides a way to improve the city’s sustainability especially during times of crisis.

… of short videos on rural tourism destination image construction and diffusion in the digital … image projected by 16,924 short videos related to rural tourism destinations from Douyin. The …

With the growing significance of social media in disseminating destination images, short videos have emerged as the primary channel through which tourists acquire destination information. In China, local governments at all administrative levels have begun to explore how to portray a more accurate and diverse destination image through short video platforms, which has become a pressing issue today. This study utilizes a combination of manual analysis (subject terms classification) and computer-assisted techniques (key-frame extraction and text mining) to examine the short videos posted on the TikTok (Douyin) platform by the integrated media centers of Minhou County, Yongtai County, Minqing County, and Lianjiang County in Fuzhou City, China. The objective is to explore the shared characteristics and variations in the dimensional aspects of destination images. The findings reveal that the short video contents released by the governmental new media accounts in these four counties primarily highlight three dimensions: stakeholders, urban infrastructures, and regional landscapes. These dimensions are evident in both descriptive texts and visual symbols. However, in terms of the presented destination image, a notable degree of homogeneity is observed, and there is a lack of emphasis on uncovering and presenting the cultural dimensions, thus failing to reflect the distinctive local characteristics fully. Consequently, it is essential for local integrated media centers to thoroughly explore the cultural uniqueness of their respective regions and enhance the development of thematic dimensions in creating short video content. This approach will effectively strengthen tourists’ association with and perception of destination images.

As the capital city of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou is famous as a cultural metropolis in China with a lengthy history.Since the broad market of short videos has created new opportunities for city image communication, the emerging way of "Learn about a city on TikTok" has highlighted the cultural significance of different cities.Therefore, this paper will take short videos about Hangzhou on TikTok as the research object, employing content analysis and cases study to investigate the attractions of popular short videos and then explore the role of overseas short videos in shaping the city image.According to the study, popular short videos fall into four main categories: knowledge-based, feeling-based, peculiarity-based and entertainment-based.Based on the study of the characteristics of popular videos, this paper focuses on how to construct city images on overseas short video platforms and proposed corresponding solutions, including the clarification of the positioning of the city, the creation of representative visual symbols, the establishment of a knowledgeable database, and the integration of cultural resources.

Short videos, as a representative form of new media, have significantly expanded the breadth and depth of individual communication capabilities. This study employs content analysis, comparative research, and focus group interviews to examine the current state of urban image dissemination of the Xi'an Metropolitan Area on short video platforms. It explores users' perceptions and attitudes toward the urban image of the Xi'an Metropolitan Area on these platforms and identifies existing issues. It is recommended to innovate urban image communication strategies by integrating diversified image dissemination, enhancing the influence of mainstream media, and encouraging public interaction and participation, thereby reshaping and elevating the overall image of the Xi'an metropolitan area in a multidimensional manner.

… Additionally, the creation of TikTok movies that showcase the … from city promotion and marketing towards city branding, … multifaceted dynamics between urban branding strategies and …

: As the cultural soft power of cities, the city image has an important impact on development of cities and attraction of talents. Taking Luoyang City, Henan Province, China as an example, this study firstly investigates status of image construction of brands in Luoyang City and introduces problems existing in image communication of the city. Furthermore, suggestions for promoting strategies of image communication of the city are put forward. Combined with resource endowment of the city, this research accurately masters city positioning. With joint efforts of key opinion leaders (KOLs) and governments, the public are attracted to participate in image construction. By integrating various media resources, it is conducive to break cultural boundaries. The aim of this research is to help image development of brands in Luoyang city and provide a reference for image construction of brands in other cities.

The nature of city branding is undergoing a fundamental transformation, evolving from a top-down, state-led model into a bottom-up, participatory process. This transformation has been …

Urban cultural tourism is a kind of tourism that combines the regional tourism resources of the city and the unique culture of the local area. Moreover, with the constant development and progress of local cities, urban cultural tourism has become a new trend in urban development. The diversification of urban cultural tourism intellectual property (IP) aligns with cities' sustainable and innovative development. Additionally, as one of the hottest and newest ways of communication, short videos have seen a surge in recent years due to their low production cost, fast communication speed, diversified content, and large scale of users. The rapid development of short video platforms such as TikTok, Quick Worker, etc., has led to an explosive growth of short video users in China; short video platforms have become the new media for city image communication. However, using short video platforms to shape the urban culture tourism IP must pay attention to the communication strategy. The short video content should not only closely follow the positioning of the city's image, but also vividly show the cultural connotation of the city, thus constructing a multiple subject of the creation and communication of the short video.

In the context of accelerated urbanization and intensified global urban competition, city branding has become a core strategy for enhancing urban competitiveness. As a region with advanced private economy and a renowned cultural city, Wenzhou faces both opportunities in industrial upgrading and cultural dissemination, as well as challenges such as homogenized competition and insufficient communication efficiency in its brand building. Based on city branding theories, this study utilizes multi-source data analysis methods, incorporating optimized communication strategies and practical cases, to provide theoretical references and practical insights for Wenzhou's city branding. This research integrates multi-source data from social media texts and news platform data, and employs natural language processing techniques for text analysis to identify public perception hotspots and propose targeted communication strategies.

Abstract Purpose This research aims to investigate how TikTok influencers make an impact on tourism and shape the public image of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, through a cross-cultural comparison with Washington D.C., in the United States. Riyadh and Washington D.C. were selected because of their significance as tourist destinations in their respective countries. Design/methodology/approach A mixed methods approach has been employed to analyze the contributions of social media influencers to the tourism industry and to evaluate user perceptions of video effectiveness and city image. Qualitative content analysis was conducted to examine video content, comments, and congruence. Following this, a survey was administered to further investigate the influence of demographic factors on audience attitudes, travel intentions, and city image perceptions. Findings Analysis of the TikTok videos revealed similar communication patterns among influencers from Saudi Arabia and the United States in creating appealing experiences for tourists. In comparison, influencers in Saudi Arabia tended to emphasize adventure-based and culture-focused content, while those in the U.S. featured more event-based and lifestyle-focused content in their videos. Engagement rates and strategies differed between the two groups. Survey results revealed that while both groups emphasized transparency and credibility, U.S. respondents exhibited higher levels of media skepticism and expressed broader concerns, including issues of representation, over-tourism, and hidden costs. Saudi participants highlighted cultural sensitivity and favored authentic local narratives. Practical implications Analyzing the impact of social media influencers on TikTok offers valuable insights into how influencers promote tourism, engage audiences, and shape the image of cities. It provides practical value by uncovering differences in influencer strategies and audience engagements. This comparison also enables new perspectives on how city images can be more effectively constructed and communicated through social media platforms. Social implications The qualitative and quantitative research findings are significant for audiences in a global context, including both local and international tourists. They provide a deeper understanding of how social media content influences perceptions of the city and travel behaviors. Originality/value This research adds new knowledge to the field of social media studies by offering a cross-cultural comparison with a focus on TikTok influencers.

… by Douyin (TikTok), the logic of city branding is undergoing a pro… city branding while cautioning against the pitfalls of commodifying cultural narratives. It ultimately positions urban brand …

This article posits that user-generated videos have the potential to modulate affective maps of, or the aggregation of our intensive dispositions towards, urban areas. It argues that bodily topologies, which reside in our neurological substrates, are the primary source of our cognitive understandings of space and that user-generated videos have the capacity to affect these maps through their circulation of multisensory rhetorics. Taken together, these videos’ tendency to obscure their images’ photo-realistic qualities and to provide visual and sonic sensations disrupt the potential for identification and encourage haptic modes of viewing that work primarily at the level of the virtual. As a case study, this article engages videos produced by self-styled urban explorers that provide tours of abandoned buildings in Detroit, Michigan. These videos, it argues, work through lighting, unsteady cameras, sound, image durations, and movement through space, to imbue the buildings with kinetic energies that may modulate audiences’ dispositions towards the Motor City.

Abstract In this study, I address the call in UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape to explore how communication technologies can be used to conserve urban heritage. To date, the relevance of social media for the implementation of this recommendation has received little attention. This is surprising, because city oriented social media platforms contain a wide range of memories, historic audiovisual material and stories related to the urban past. This article presents a qualitative content analysis of the social media activities and policy documents of 19 Dutch heritage projects and organisations. On the basis of this analysis and a literature review, I discuss how social media contribute to the conservation of historic urban landscapes through the online narrative practices of storytelling and mapping. The narratives shared on social media reveal the diverse layers of heritage values attributed to these urban landscapes. Furthermore, storytelling and mapping can be used to actively involve people in urban conservation, providing insight into the attachments that citizens have to their urban environment. Moreover, the very accessible forms of social media enhance public knowledge of historic urban landscapes.

With the promulgation of the “rural revitalization” initiative, China has been promoting the marriage between technology and rurality to chart a digital future for what is christened “a new countryside.” Rural revitalization is not simply a socio-economic project but a profoundly ideological one, which choreographs a socio-spatial order, fashions an aspirational rural subjectivity, and realigns imaginaries of rurality. This article examines the role of short video in fostering an emergent rural performativity in line with official ideology through idyll-icized displays of rural lifestyles and landscapes, which are loaded with affective and ideological connotations. A scopic contact zone is thus carved out between rural vloggers and urban viewers, one characterized by mutual appropriation and strategic differentiation. This article foregrounds the limitations of this urban-rural contact zone and its immanent “cruel optimism,” while advocating a kind of radical utopia to enable imaginations of the alternative futures of digital rurality.

… multisensory narratives that reconfigure how marginalized communities inhabit and generate knowledge about their urban spaces. Building on this, we argue that atmospheric urban …

The current international communication ecological landscape is becoming in-creasingly intricate. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, to strengthen our in-ternational communication capacity, it is important to tell genuine and en-gaging stories, make our voice heard, and present an accurate, multidimensional and panoramic image of China. This paper is grounded in the analytical frame-work of encoding and decoding theory. By integrating empirical case study methods with interpretive text analysis, it embarks on a systematic ex-ploration from three dimensions: the symbolic encoding, symbolic decoding and future dissemination trajectories of Li Ziqi's short videos. The aim is to com-prehen-sively investigate how to enhance the dissemination efficacy of short videos in conveying China's stories, thereby offering constructive insights for the cross-cultural dissemination of Chinese culture.