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Digital Resonance and Symbolic Reconstruction: An Analysis of the Media Sociology of Gen Z's Chinese-Style Music

Author(s)

Cao Yang, Han Yu*

Affiliation(s)

School of Political Science and Law, University of Jinan, Jinan, Shandong, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the interweaving of digital technology and the revival of traditional culture, Chinese-style pop music has become a key carrier of cultural confidence among young people. Based on the framework of media sociology, this study explores through qualitative interviews how Chinese-style music leverages technological empowerment, symbolic translation, and community interaction to drive young people from "passive inheritance" to "active reconstruction" of cultural confidence. The research finds that the Z generation, through practices such as "counter-hegemonic creation" and "algorithmic dissemination", integrates traditional and modern elements to form a symbiotic cultural symbol system, resolving the cultural tension between globalization and localization. Platform-based dissemination and intergenerational feedback further construct a virtual-real coexisting cultural community, achieving the digital regeneration of traditional cultural memory and the ritualized expression of identity. The study proposes a "media cultural confidence" model, revealing the collaborative mechanism of technology, symbols, and communities, providing theoretical insights for the mutual construction of youth subculture and mainstream values as well as cultural policy innovation.

Keywords

Media Sociology; National Style Pop Music; Cultural Confidence; Symbolic Capital

References

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