Live Streaming as an Interactive Marketing Media: Examining Douyin and Its Constructed Value and Cultural Preference of Consumption in E-commerce

Abstract

The emergence of the Chinese-developed social media TikTok and Douyin has drawn the attention of academics and encouraged them to investigate its suitability in different functions, including but not limited to interactive marketing. This chapter extends the academic discussion to interactive marketing. Supported by the previous studies of Douyin, this chapter reveals how interactive marketing can be practiced under the specific mechanism provided by Douyin. Based on empirical data and case studies derived from interviews, the findings illustrate that the mechanism of Douyin in terms of interactive marketing could be operated and sustained by the pool of creative laborers who are highly influenced by the Douyin community and happy in seeking immaterial rewards. The findings shed light on the live streaming e-commerce industry, as well as the mechanism of interactive marketing in social media platforms in contemporary China.