Keywords

1 Introduction

The term Generation Z was first coined to refer to the cohort that grew up in the late 20th century and early 21st century, also known as the Internet generation. According to United Nations statistics, in 2020 the population of Generation Z (also called Gen Z/Gen Zers, born after 1995) exceeded one-third [1]. This group differs from traditional ‘digital natives’ in their thinking, hobbies, and values. They are not only active in the usage and functions of the Internet proficiently, but also have a desire for novelty. Gen Z demonstrates a propensity to construct their own cultural identities through social networks, which serves to facilitate their self-realization and self-worth [2].

Furthermore, with the continuous development of new media, including social media, people, including Generation Z, increasingly rely on digital platforms for obtaining information due to their diverse and richer sources. This shift is driven by social needs and technological advancements. As the Internet matures, the emergence of new media has had a significant impact on traditional media. Consequently, people are no longer content with passive information from traditional media but prefer actively seeking information through new media.

Undeniably, based on the aforementioned characteristics, Gen Z has become the primary target of most business models, compelling industries to devise commercial strategies aimed at this cohort on digital platforms. In the context of China, as of November 2020, the number of active internet users of Gen Z in China exceeded 300 million. They are a significant presence on the internet and a prevalent player in the digital economy [3]. Video platforms with new media communication forms such as Youku, Bilibili, and iQiyi have emerged as the trend. In the third quarter of 2022, Bilibili’s average monthly active users reached 333 million [4]. Of Bilibili’s users, almost 90% are under the age of 35. Accordingly, Bilibili is described as a highly-dense cultural community and video platform that is popular among Gen Z in China.

This research concentrates on the Chinese Gen Z population and their inclination towards using Bilibili, a platform-based digital entertainment, to investigate how its media culture shapes their cohort identity and their fashion choices. This generation, who have come of age during a period of economic prosperity in China as opposed to the 2008 financial crisis in the West, are known to be self-assured and well-educated in comparison to earlier generations. With a population of 400 million, their preferences and consumption habits are of significant importance for foreign brands looking to succeed in the Chinese market.

It should be noted that the succeeding generation, Generation Alpha, is considered to be even more digitally native than Generation Z, with no memory of using DVDs. Both of the latest generations are referred as the internet-native. The successive two generations are even converged to be termed “Gen Zalph” [5], those individuals who have grown up with and have been immersed in digital technologies and the Internet for their entire lives. However, the focus of this research pertains to the essence of B-site and its relationship with Generation Z in China, a distinctive cohort that was an early adopter of Bilibili when it functioned primarily as a barrage channel. The user group interested in ACG (referring to Japanese Anime, Comics and Games) is comparatively limited in number, however, they are recognized for their steadfast loyalty to their interests and community. The advent of ACG led this group to coalesce around Bilibili, and subsequently, to cultivate a unique subculture of new media referred to as ‘barrage culture’. During this period, it is important to note that Generation Alpha was not part of this particular cohort.

2 Materials

2.1 Key Materials/Literature Review

Research on Gen Z

There has been extensive academic research globally conducted on Gen Z, covering various fields such as demographics, culture, education, politics, economics, and technology. A study titled “Generation Z Goes to College” conducted in 2014, identified key self-identification characteristics of Gen-Z students as being loyal, compassionate, considerate, open-minded, and responsible [6]. Turner (2015) characterizes Gen Z as having a “digital bond to the internet” and posits that this may assist young individuals in overcoming the mental and emotional challenges they experience in their daily lives [7].

In China, research on different generations tends to group individuals into 10-year intervals, such as the post-60s or post-80s, resulting in a scarcity of studies that specifically focus on the demographic referred to as Gen Z, which is a broader term for a certain age group. Ren (2021) examines how Gen Z expresses themselves online and analyzes the forms and characteristics of their internet discourse. He investigates the underlying group, social, and cultural motivations behind their online behavior [8]. He argues that the unique subcultural landscape of Gen Z’s online expression not only reflects the group dynamics and social interactions of young people on the internet but also reshapes social expression, ultimately impacting internet culture and the cultural ecosystem as a whole. The forms and features of their internet discourse also shape their behavior in online social interactions and are closely linked to the characteristics of the cultural community of Generation Z (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1.
figure 1

Age Distribution of Generation Z in China (Conceptualized pattern by the author)

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Like digital native in all other countries, Generation Z in China is a group that has grown up entirely in a digital environment. They are highly proficient in using various digital technologies, and they use social media platforms extensively to communicate and interact with others. Other than it, the most important characteristic of Chinese Gen Z is that they grew up in a time when the Chinese economy is booming. Thus, the Gen Z’s consumption tendency prioritizes experiences over careful budgeting and pragmatic spending. As described in media coverage, a 1997-born postgraduate student expressed that most of their expenses are spent on their hobbies such as buying blind boxes and Lego. The student also indicated that their age group is normally likes to watch anime at station B, preserving membership for B-site at least 5 years [9]. This as well reflects Gen Z in China is highly e-commerce savvy, with a significant portion of their consumption taking place online. They are adept at using digital platforms to research products and make purchases, and they are comfortable with mobile payment systems.

Research on Gen Z

Youth culture is a multifaceted concept that encompasses the psychological and spiritual needs, lifestyles, behavior patterns, and values of young people as a social group [10]. Focusing on Chinese Gen Z, Yue (2015) examined the development of youth culture in the era of media convergence using a CCTV program as a case study. She highlighted that contemporary youth culture has three main characteristics: media culture has become an integral part of it; cultural forms are inter-integrated; and the influence of idol culture is increasingly established online within youth culture [11]. Similarly, Li (2020) researched how contemporary youth express themselves in online virtual communities and identified the ACG culture as a significant influencing factor [12]. He found that the social activities of members in these communities are subjective and that they tend to construct their image to achieve their goals and meet their needs.

Generation Z, as the representative of today’s youth groups, relies on multiple new media platforms to produce a variety of youth subcultures. Fiske (1992) examined the culture of idolizing stars and, from a psychological perspective, explained why young people are drawn to them. He also noted that the formation of many youth subcultures is often linked to resistance against mainstream culture and mainstream value systems [13]. Additionally, the primary motivation for young people to use new media platforms is entertainment, and as a result, the cultural characteristics of youth subcultures often include elements of depression and decadence. Conversely, the more relaxed, simple, and free the cultural content is, the more likely young people are to engage with it.

Research on the Bilibili Video Barrage Website

B site, also known as Bilibili Video Barrage Website, has grown from an ACG niche video website to a cultural community and video platform with a high concentration of Chinese young people since its establishment in 2009. Wang (2016) used B site as a research object to analyze the development of demassified video websites, pointing out that there are four main differences between demassified and mainstream video websites in terms of commercial modeling, video sourcing, content positioning, and organizational structure [14]. Demassified video websites focus on niche interests and attract users with clear positioning and specialized content. The video content mostly comes from user-generated content, while the revenue mainly comes from financing, operating online games, and selling peripheral products.

Research on Bilibili is a popular topic among scholars, as evidenced by the 1,497 related documents found on CNKI, a Chinese academic research engine. The latest publication date is in 2022 and the earliest is in 2015, which coincides with the period when Bilibili was developing toward mainstream culture and becoming increasingly popular. Furthermore, most of the research on Bilibili is done from the perspectives of barrage videos, video websites, and new media, and these studies use Bilibili as the research object to derive keywords such as barrage, ACG, and youth subculture. These are closely related to the characteristics of Bilibili and the context in which it developed.

Referring to the bullet-chatting culture, Deng (2015) applied sociologist Randall Collins’ interactive ritual chain theory to analyze the barrage video viewing behavior of Bilibili users. The research found that the popularity of bullet screens created a new mode of video viewing [15]. ACG culture enthusiasts use bullet screens to break the traditional sluggish reply interaction state and create an instant virtual interactive scene, which allows for easy interaction, communication, and expression of emotions among users through the network. This mode of interaction allows the individuals participating in the interaction to receive a lot of emotional support and sharing, making it the most ideal state of interaction. Similarly, Yuan (2017) analyzed nearly 6,000 barrage texts related to the documentary I am repairing cultural relics in the Palace Museum on Bilibili, and found that the audience on Bilibili provided a lot of supplementary details and personalized comments through the barrage [16]. Yuan indicates that the expression of opinions enriches the meaning of the documentary on Bilibili. This situation also represents that as an important part of youth subculture, barrage culture evolves alongside traditional culture in mutual differences.

Based on the research sources and literature, it can be inferred that the cohort culture of Gen Z will have the basic characteristics of youth culture, form a diverse array of youth subcultures, and become an important part of shaping youth culture through interactions. To understand the characteristics of the cohort culture of Gen Z in China, it is crucial to consider the context of the era of media convergence and the distinctive characteristics of contemporary online communities, which differ from traditional social environments.

2.2 A Literature Analysis: Bilibili’s Cultural Intervention in Chinese Gen Z

Bilibili, as the most popular video-sharing platform in China, is a significant new media that has had a considerable impact on the daily lives and cultural practices of Chinese Gen Z. In this context, the function of media intervention suggests that Bilibili’s role transcends being just a platform for media consumption. Instead, the platform has intervened in various aspects of Chinese Gen Z’s lives, shaping their cultural practices, influencing social interactions, and even affecting values and beliefs. As such, Bilibili represents a new paradigm in media consumption and social interactions for Chinese Gen Z, introducing new forms of media consumption and social interactions that were not present or as prevalent in previous eras.

The daily life of Chinese youth in the context of online platforms is particularly reflected in the marketing effectiveness of Bilibili and the film and media culture of the platform. Within this field, subcultural phenomena thrive and are largely autonomous. The platform’s columns are organized thematically, with a particular emphasis on the ACG subculture. It has been observed that the subculture originally driven by Japanese pop culture has gradually gained a more prominent position, such that even governed “The New Journey” of the governmental propagandas on Television productions are relegated to the periphery.

First, taking a specific PVC figures as the case to examine the marketing effectiveness of Bilibili, the products are particular popular among Chinese Gen Z for it originates from Japan’s animation character models and are now collectively referred to as figures in China. This popular literary and artistic work has now become the focus of collections by fans of anime and games. iResearch, a professional marketing research institute, has reported that Gen Z, a small group of PVC Figure consumers, displayed a relatively high annual spending on figurines in 2020, with an average per capita expenditure of 2022 yuan and around eight figurine purchases per capita. The market size is projected to exceed 9.12 billion yuan by the end 2023. Among the platforms that offer high customer satisfaction in purchasing figurines for Gen Z, particularly those born after 2000, Bilibili membership has emerged as the preferred choice [17].

Based on an online survey conducted by iResearch in February 2021, the Gen Z consumer group in China is predominantly male, with over 40% being students. This group also tends to have a higher level of education, providing them with greater exposure and acceptance towards new cultural phenomena and products. As the market continues to expand with more cultural intellectual property, there is a promising consumption potential within this group. The concentration of Gen Z consumers is mainly in economically developed regions such as Guangdong, Beijing, and Shanghai, with over 80% residing in first-tier and new first-tier cities. At present, hand-made commodities, which combine both spiritual and material consumption, are more popular in these regions.

Bilibili’s media culture is centered on film and television, marking a shift from catering to a narrow audience to offering diverse content for web users. Initially, Bilibili focused on animation, games, comics, and other ACG content sourced from Japanese TV stations, with user-generated content comprising the rest. However, as Bilibili evolved and diversified its content, users from different backgrounds settled in, leading to an increase in professional user-generated content and the entry of professional institutions and official accounts. Bilibili is now venturing into producing its own variety shows, web dramas, and documentaries, with some of its self-produced content receiving critical acclaim. Bilibili is categorised as a niche, vertical video website, providing content that aligns with the needs of the Z generation group. Bilibili has well-defined content divisions with different vertical classifications, including living, gaming, animation, and technology. Additionally, Bilibili has added online live broadcasting, game centers, and peripheral shopping malls as vertical supplements (Table 1).

Table 1. Station B’s Content Verticals: Common Partitions and Classification Sections China. (Integrated by the author)
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3 Methods and Results

3.1 Qualitative Data of a Case Study with the Cultural Analysis

This study uses a case study approach with cultural analysis to gather qualitative data on Bilibili that is now considered a leading active content platform for the demographic of Gen Z. The data sources for this study include formal and informal documentation, statistics, student reports, and digital field surveys.

  • Propositions: Three-dimensional key factors involved

The foregoing discussion highlights three dimensions that are involved in the association for this study, such as Gen Z, cultural community, and platform-based digital entertainment.

The following propositions are developed as part of this research:

  1. (1)

    The culture of bullet-chatting has a significant impact on the formation of cohort identity and digital bonding.

  2. (2)

    Platform-based digital entertainment plays a crucial role in reinforcing the media effects that shape cohort identity.

  3. (3)

    Through the intersection of ACG, bullet-chatting interaction, and the Gen Z cultural community, Bilibili has been legitimized as a ‘cohort field’, leading to the formation of distinctive fashion representation.

The key argument:

  • The key argument:

The use of Bilibili’s new media platform, particularly its bullet-chatting culture and ACG media culture, has a significant symbolic effect on Gen Z’s cohort identity and aesthetic choices in fashion. By facilitating digital bonding and shaping a collective identity, Bilibili’s platform has the power to influence the cultural decision-making of young people, that is gradually affecting in the realm of fashion.

3.2 Results: An Analysis of Bilibili as Generation Z’s Cultural Community

This study examines Bilibili as a cultural community for Generation Z, exploring its unique features and digital operations. Through analysis of user features, the study identifies four key aspects of Bilibili’s role in fostering a sense of community and collective identity among Gen Z users. The study aims to provide insight into the impact of Bilibili on Gen Z’s cultural decision-making, including in the realm of fashion.

  • Barrage Culture: Bilibili’s barrage culture enables real-time comments during video watching, creating virtual interactivity and unique communication. This feature is integral to Bilibili’s identity, enhancing the user experience, especially for Gen Z, who value innovative online interaction.

  • Business Model: Bilibili has a distinctive business model that sets it apart from other mainstream video websites. The majority of its revenue comes from financing, operating online games, and selling peripheral products, which allows it to operate independently and continue to provide unique content for its users.

  • User-generated Content: Bilibili’s focus on user-generated content differentiates it from other platforms, providing diverse content that caters to Gen Z’s interests. This approach fosters engagement and community, promoting an autonomous identity for Gen Z’s user-generated content. This trend has the potential to enhance creative expression and cultural decision-making in fashion and beyond.

  • Interest-based Communities: Bilibili’s focus on interest-based communities, with differentiated content and clear positioning, aligns with the preferences of Generation Z for digital interaction and community building. This has enabled Bilibili to attract and retain a substantial user base who share common interests and hobbies. By leveraging interactive mechanisms and digital communication, Bilibili has fostered a strong sense of community among its users.

4 Crucial Findings: Media Effect in Framing Bilibili as a “Gen-Z Cultural Community”

Over time, Bilibili has transformed from a niche platform serving a small group of subculture enthusiasts to a new media giant that centralizes most social resources, thanks to its increasing number of younger users and Gen Z’s empowerment. As a digital platform exclusively catering to Gen Z, Bilibili is constantly improving by transforming its audience into digital users through a diverse range of content, developing popular culture in a circle-based manner, using interactive features to enhance social identity, and encouraging user innovation to optimize platform diversification. This developing trend demonstrates the crucial findings of this research that as represented as the most popular new media among Chinese Gen Z, Bilibili possesses symbolic power to mediate contemporary popular culture in China. The youth cultural community formed within Bilibili acts as a dynamic field where diverse subcultures are allowed to express freely. Within the symbolic power, Gen Z, as part of Bilibili's social resource, performs social actors to express autonomous identity by its role of content creators and contribute to forming the youth cultural community and fashion’s unique aesthetics on the platform.

4.1 Bilibili: A Cultural Field for Autonomous Identity Expression Among Gen Z in China

The emergence of B-site as a new cultural field for Gen Z in China is characterized by its unique barrage function and ACG media culture, which enables Gen-Z users to create their own cultural identity amidst the age of information fragmentation. Despite the growing number of young users at B-site, such as the 16-year-old Alpha generation, who are still in pursuit of current trends, the current Gen Z is believed to have formed relatively mature judgment in aesthetics. As a result, they have a more powerful voice and often spontaneously regulate the behavior of the Alpha generation within this community.

Furthermore, the youth cultural community formed at B-site is not merely a subculture attached to mainstream Chinese culture. Rather, it represents the appropriation and reconstruction of Japanese popular culture. In China’s unique social context, mainstream culture is still regarded as a higher-level value. For instance, the Column, “The New Journey”, on B-site generally promotes socialist values such as patriotism, prosperity, civilization, and harmony. Nevertheless, with the advent of new media and the empowerment it offers to the digitally native Gen Z, the platform has become a representation of postmodernism, allowing for independent judgments on what should be popular and what actions to undertake. Consequently, there is an abundance of non-mainstream cultures on the platform.

4.2 Bilibili: Unique Fashion Aesthetics Through ACG Influences

The influence of Bilibili on the fashion choices of Generation Z in China is reflected in their unique fashion aesthetics. Bilibili’s fashion column has retained its distinct characteristics, and the ACG media culture remains a crucial frame of reference for this multicultural community. Fashion culture is most prominently expressed through the styles of JK, Lolita, and Hanfu within Bilibili, which are also the most popular among users. JK and Lolita are the styles deriving from Japanese youth’s fashion. Hanfu has risen to prominence with the recent success of Guochao, a fashion trend that uses traditional Chinese garments to represent national awareness. The B-site fashion representation has thus opened up ACG aesthetic choices among the mainstream fashion trends. A term ‘unique fashion aesthetics’ is therefore an appropriate description of the distinct fashion style of Chinese Generation Z that is inspired by Japanese manga. The influencers on B-site fashion appropriate Japanese cosplay and ACG culture to express local culture. For example, the “Three Bankrupt Sisters” (JK, Lolita, and Hanfu) have become a signature feature of the fashion district of Bilibili, and the influencer Xiaomaoer has successfully incubated the independent Hanfu brand “Thirteen Yu”. In a recent beauty video, Mrs. Baojian also showcased her interest in Hanfu and Chinese fashion elements [18].

The official website of Bilibili recently featured a headline reading “Guide to the beauty of ordinary people”, indicating that the platform is using its unique digital technology to lead fashion trends. Among its content verticals, Fashion has become one of the most popular new columns. According to data from the BILIBILI Fashion Big Data report, the fashion column currently has 1.63 million videos, 10.6 billion broadcasts, 700 million screen interactions, and nearly 260,000 content tags, covering a variety of categories such as cosmetics, clothing, and fitness [19].

Having been good at increasing user engagement, B site has launched The Fashion Star Program to explore more trendy and interesting content and UGCs, providing various resources to support new fashion influencers [20]. Bilibili has always kept a focus on young users and has a high sensitivity to the virtual community on the platform. This allows B site to capture the booming content trends in the community and expand the advantages of fashion categories through platform support. Therefore, the active content ecology on the platform makes ‘fashion’ a new label and forms a strong attraction to youth based on unique community characteristics. Reacting to this prosperity, the CEO of Bilibili, Chen Rui (2020), stated in public that he hopes that Bilibili can become the cultural lifestyle for Chinese young people; where users can be happy, make friends, stay up to date with the latest entertainment trends, and even learn [21]. It’s worth mentioning that the international fast-fashion brand SHEIN has rapidly gained popularity in the global market in recent years. This may suggest that China’s Gen Z population prefers to see the globalization of local brands that they identify with, rather than international brands.

5 Conclusion

Based on the findings presented, it can be concluded that Gen Z in China is not only proud of their national identity but also embraces a unique cultural identity shaped by their digital engagement. Bilibili has emerged as a significant platform that has enabled Gen Z to express their autonomous identities through content creation and interaction with like-minded individuals, forming a multicultural community. The ACGN media culture and barrage function of Bilibili have allowed Gen Z to create a distinctive fashion aesthetic, drawing inspiration from Japanese manga and other non-mainstream cultures. Moreover, Bilibili has facilitated the development of their popular culture by providing the conditions for the sustainable growth of their cultural community. Overall, the emergence of Bilibili and the unique cultural identity of Gen Z in China demonstrate the transformative power of digital media on cultural production and identity formation.

Moreover, the findings of this study suggest that the influence of platform-based digital entertainment, such as Bilibili, extends beyond cultural and national identity to fashion and style. The popularity of fashion styles like JK, Lolita, and Hanfu among Bilibili users reflects the platform’s impact on fashion representation and the development of a fashionable cohort identity. In conclusion, the online community has become a hub for cultural exchange and creativity, allowing for the amplification of expressions and group characteristics of Generation Z, and reinforcing their unique cultural identity.