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A Critical Discourse Analysis Perspective on the Discourse of Overconsumption in Social Media

Author(s)

Yihan Huang*

Affiliation(s)

School of Foreign Languages, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study adopts Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis to examine two performative discourse samples from Xiaohongshu and Douyin, systematically analyzing the textual features, dissemination mechanisms, and socio-ideological interactions of overconsumption discourse on social media. The findings reveal that such discourse constructs value linkages between consumption and identity through lexical, grammatical, and rhetorical choices, and achieves meaning dissemination via performative production by mid-tier KOLs, platform algorithm distribution, and diversified audience interpretations. At the social practice level, consumerism intertwines with identity anxiety in gender-differentiated ways. Capital power dominates multiple forms of contestation, while gender culture profoundly shapes discursive logic. The study extends the application of critical discourse analysis to the field of consumer discourse, uncovering the construction mechanisms and ideological penetration pathways of overconsumption discourse.

Keywords

Critical Discourse Analysis; Overconsumption Discourse; Consumerist Ideology; Identity Anxiety

References

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