- Browse/Search Program
Search
Browse By Day
Browse By Time
Browse By Person
Browse By Session Type
- Navigation and Settings Menu
Personal Schedule
Change Preferences / Time Zone
Sign In
- Participant Resources
Deadlines
Policies
Accessible Presentation
FAQs
- Social Media
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Presenting Selves and Balancing Identities as Chinese International Tourists and Consumers in the U.S.
Sat, August 8, 5:10 to 6:10pm PDT (5:10 to 6:10pm PDT), Parc55, Floor: Level 4, Cyril Magnin IAbstract
This paper is based on the analysis of 241 video and word posts collected from three popular social media sites on which Chinese tourists, who have traveled to the United States between 2015 and 2018, shared their shopping experiences and product reviews during and after the trip. It investigates Chinese international tourists’ diverse presentations of self to a broad audience online through explaining their consumption experiences and choices in the States. Tourists are expected to balance multiple identities carefully when they project themselves online as consumers: on the one hand, they present themselves as global consumer and trend setters who are strategic and savvy, while on the other hand, they still need to preserve and emphasize their national identity and how loyal they are as Chinese patriots. Throughout the paper, I argue that the presentations of self for Chinese international tourists on social media are both liberating and constraining at the same time. On the one hand, social media platforms allow people to present themselves in more diverse ways compared to traditional face-to-face interactions, while on the other hand, tourists’ presentations are being monitored and policed by more social media users virtually. In order to present a pleasing self-image, they need to comply with the moral standards of their potential audiences online outside their life circles. The conclusion discusses broader sociological implication of the research in enhancing our understanding of how globalization and global consumption operates at the micro level, the form of digital self, and the cultivation of social media sites as important sources of data for future studies on identity and social interaction.