Signifyin’ “Black in China” and Sharing Black Pathos: Libidinal Energies in Vlogs Produced by Black YouTubers in China

Abstract

The subjectivity of Black individuals and communities as content producers in Sino–African/Black encounters has been underestimated in popular culture and academic discussion. By incorporating the theory of the libidinal economy, this study aims to understand the unique discursive practices in video blogs (vlogs) produced by Black YouTubers in China from the perspective of Black cyberculture. This study applies critical technocultural discourse analysis to 100 popular videos. Two levels of libidinal investments are identified: first, the libidinal energy, Black pathos, invested by Black Youtubers as the subject of video production and publication; and second, the interracial libidinal tension invested by Chinese and Black subjects, which is externalized as racialization. Two types of libidinal flows are identified: the libidinal energy flow, through various technologies, from offline encounters in China to the global video platform YouTube, supported by the discursive practices, such as signifyin’; and the libidinal flow from the narrative of mundanity to a wider domain of discursive contestation between China and the United States This study also suggests to focus on the variation of libidos, filtered by identities, invested in materiality in a cross-cultural context.