Introduction
This essay explores the interconnectedness of globalisation and the nation-state through a historical comparative analysis of Chinese live streamers on TikTok, focusing on group performances from Chongqing. Drawing on recent examples from the past five years, it examines how these digital practices exemplify cultural flows while being shaped by national contexts. The analysis integrates insights from Appadurai’s work on globalisation and Anderson’s concept of the nation as an imagined community, supplemented by an anthropological examination of digital economies. It argues that such streamers illustrate both the disjunctures of global media and the persistent role of the nation-state in mediating identity and economy.
Globalisation and Digital Cultural Flows
Globalisation, understood through Appadurai’s framework, involves the movement of people, technologies, and ideas across borders in unpredictable ways. In the case of Chongqing-based TikTok streamers like Yao Yao and Long Haotian, performances featuring coordinated group dances and songs have gained international audiences since around 2020. These streams represent what Appadurai (1996) describes as ethnoscapes and mediascapes, wherein local cultural expressions enter global circuits via platforms such as TikTok.
This process echoes historical patterns seen in earlier media technologies but accelerated by smartphones and algorithmic distribution. Inda and Rosaldo (2008) highlight how global flows are not uniform, often creating new forms of inequality as peripheral creators seek visibility in metropolitan markets. The Chongqing streamers, typically from rural or semi-urban backgrounds, leverage regional dialects and folk elements, yet their success depends on TikTok’s global infrastructure, which prioritises trending content over national boundaries.
Such dynamics demonstrate the disjuncture between cultural production and economic benefit, where local performers gain modest visibility while platform owners capture primary value.
The Nation-State and Cultural Mediation
While globalisation facilitates these flows, the nation-state remains a structuring force. Anderson (2003) conceptualises the nation as an imagined community sustained through shared media and narratives. In contemporary China, live streaming is regulated by state policies that promote certain representations of national culture while restricting others. Chongqing streams often incorporate elements aligned with state-approved patriotism, such as harmonious group performances, reflecting the government’s emphasis on social stability.
Comparatively, this parallels earlier nationalist projects where media was harnessed to construct collective identity, as discussed in Anderson’s analysis of print capitalism. However, the digital age introduces tensions: streamers navigate censorship and content guidelines that enforce national boundaries on global platforms. Trouillot (2001) notes that states in the era of globalisation engage in deceptive practices to maintain authority, selectively endorsing cultural exports that bolster soft power. Thus, the Chongqing case reveals how nation-state mechanisms continue to shape which aspects of local culture enter global circulation, limiting full deterritorialisation.
Interconnections Through Historical Comparison
A historical comparative lens highlights the continuity and change between past and present. Much like the role of radio and cinema in mid-twentieth century nation-building, contemporary platforms enable scaled cultural projection. Yet globalisation introduces new actors, including international viewers who reinterpret these performances through cosmopolitan lenses. This interconnection underscores that economic development via digital entrepreneurship remains tethered to national regulations and identity projects.
The streamers’ reliance on Chinese platforms and regulatory environments exemplifies how globalisation does not erode the nation-state but reconfigures its influence within transnational networks.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the phenomenon of Chongqing TikTok streamers demonstrates the intertwined nature of globalisation and the nation-state. Global digital flows enable cultural dissemination, yet national institutions mediate content and identity formation. This analysis, grounded in course readings and anthropological perspectives on media, affirms that such cases offer valuable insights into ongoing negotiations of culture and power in the digital age. Further research could explore audience reception to deepen these links.
References
- Anderson, B. (2003 [1983]) Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism. London: Verso.
- Appadurai, A. (1996) Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
- Inda, J.X. and Rosaldo, R. (2008) Tracking global flows. In: The Anthropology of Globalization: A Reader, 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 3-46.
- Trouillot, M.R. (2001) The anthropology of the state in the age of globalization: Close encounters of the deceptive kind. Current Anthropology, 42(1), pp. 125-138.
