Digital neo-tribal formations and identity construction among Generation Z: A cyber-ethnographic analysis of China’s cotton dolls circle subculture

Abstract

This study examines consumption behaviours and identity construction processes of Generation Z within China’s Cotton Dolls Circle through neo-tribal theory enriched by feminist cultural theory, critical platform studies and political economy perspectives. Employing cyber-ethnographic methodology with 9 months of participant observation across multiple digital platforms (Weibo, Weidian, Xianyu) and thirteen in-depth interviews with participants aged 18–28 years, the research reveals three principal mechanisms characterising contemporary digital neo-tribal formation. First, communal consumption practices integrate social interaction with commercial activity through ‘humanised community economy’. Second, sophisticated multi-platform ecosystem architecture enables ritualistic symbol consumption whilst subjecting users to algorithmic mediation and commercial exploitation. Third, affective consumption patterns facilitate emotional companionship and skill development whilst potentially reinforcing gendered expectations regarding caregiving and infantilised femininity. Demographic analysis indicates 98% female participation concentrated amongst highly educated Generation Z cohorts in urban regions. Whilst validating neo-tribal theory’s core insights, the study illuminates critical dimensions requiring feminist analysis, including the gendered nature of infantilised consumption, platform capitalism’s exploitation of affective labour and the simultaneously empowering and constraining character of digital subcultural participation.