Infrastructural intermediation
Refining datafication, reinforcing commodification, and replenishing selection in the platformization of cultural production
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12655559 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Zhongxuan Lin (0000-0002-9316-5976, Jinan University), Yinan Wang (0000-0002-7203-2277, Jinan University), Fangru Liu (0009-0002-1345-4100, Anhui University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | New Media & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/14614448251385516 |
| OpenAlex | W4415783286 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 33 |
This study analyzes how short-video platforms, with Douyin as a case, depend on cultural intermediaries (e.g. multi-channel networks and digital marketing agencies) to sustain operations and expand platform power. Unlike existing studies that exaggerate or underestimate cultural intermediaries’ agency, this study offers a middle-ground perspective and conceptualizes it as “infrastructural intermediation,” in which cultural intermediaries act as external dispositifs of platform power in cultural production. Using participant observation and interviews with intermediaries and creators, we identify three primary infrastructural functions: (1) visualizing: converting data into actionable guidance for platform strategy implementation; (2) reinforcing: optimizing creators’ practices to advance monetization; and (3) repairing: remedying deficiencies in technical and institutional mechanisms. As an indispensable component of the platform, they reinforce platformization structures, complete the “last mile” of platform power implementation. This study also reveals how China’s distinctive state-platform relationship shapes the role and strategies of cultural intermediaries
Cultural analysis · Intermediary · Perspective (graphical · Power (physics · Production (economics · Selection (genetic algorithm · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Digital Games and Media · Digital Platforms and Economics
The Platform Society
Governing social eating ( chibo ) influencers
Traffic media
‘Traffic rewards’, ‘algorithmic visibility’, and ‘advertiser satisfaction’
Digital Platforms and Infrastructure in the Realm of Culture
China’s digital infrastructure
Manufacturing influencers
Zhibo gonghui
The globalization of TikTok
The co-evolution of two Chinese mobile short video apps
The Discipline of Happiness
Digital intermediation
Infrastructure studies meet platform studies in the age of Google and Facebook
The platformization of cultural production
Contesting the intermediary power
Digital media infrastructures
Infrastructuralization of Tik Tok
From audiences to data points
Contingency, Precarity and Short-Video Creativity
I know it's sensitive
Studying Infrastructuring Ethnographically
Dependence in the online screen industry
Transcoding a wanghong city
The politics of 'platforms
WeChat as infrastructure
From Platform Capitalism to Digital China
Tiered Governance and Demonetization
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |