Villagers in Shanxi Province conduct a livestreaming session to market agricultural products. Photo: IC PHOTO

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With the increasing popularization of the internet, e-commerce has rapidly emerged as a new channel for selling goods. Among the various forms of new media communication, short videos have become increasingly popular among rural residents due to their low technical thresholds, ease of production, and rich content. Many farmers use short videos not only to promote agricultural products but also to document their daily lives, capturing what they see, hear, and think. The widespread dissemination of short videos has become one of the most notable media and cultural phenomena on the internet today.

Merits of short videos

The diverse range of short videos promoting agricultural products fully demonstrates the creativity and imagination of rural people, as well as their cultural self-confidence and sense of agency in the new era. Many creators of these videos are not only participants and drivers of rural development, but also chroniclers of societal change in the countryside.

The massive production and wide dissemination of these short videos has fundamentally changed the fate of rural areas, which were only passively endorsed in the traditional media era. Rural residents need not solely rely on journalists’ door-to-door interviews for communication purposes, while the previous communication focus has shifted from urban residents. This new communication approach has greatly narrowed the digital divide between urban and rural areas, reflecting profound changes in China’s social structure and the media identity of rural residents, while indicating that rural residents have transitioned from objects of media narratives to subjects. 

To attract more attention to their works, win the trust of a broader audience, and increase sales of agricultural products, creators of short promotional videos often employ various narrative strategies. These include highlighting the natural and green qualities of the products through beautiful ecological settings, showcasing the richness and appeal of the products through depictions of traditional rural life, emphasizing their authenticity by focusing on craftsmanship, inspiring viewers’ willingness to help by portraying the hardships of farmers, or positioning themselves as benefactors to call on others to assist, among other approaches.

Obviously, these narrative strategies have captured more attention, highlighted the unique qualities and advantages of agricultural products, resonated emotionally with audiences, and, to some extent, increased sales.

Powerful commercial logic

However, driven by commercial logic, the pursuit of profit has become the primary motivation for many short video creators in marketing agricultural products, giving rise to several pronounced problems in the development of rural promotional videos.

First, some vloggers present kitsch and superficial content, using exaggerated expressions and coarse language to express vulgar and shallow themes, which fosters an appreciation for “ugliness” and a culture of trivial entertainment. Some content creators offer biased commentary on social phenomena or issues, consequently deepening cultural divides and misunderstandings. When certain short videos go viral and generate profits, many creators rush to imitate them, often plagiarizing and appropriating ideas without authorization, which undermines the cultural ecosystem of innovation and creativity. Additionally, many short videos portray an idealized, utopian landscape, not only obscuring the undesirable aspects of rural life but also masking the modernity and authenticity of the countryside.

It is precisely this powerful commercial logic that has guided many short video creators to pay excessive attention to the promotion of agricultural products and the commercial utility of their works while failing to explore and articulate rural culture. As a result, some short promotional videos are overly commercial and lack cultural substance.  

To further leverage new media technologies in promoting the sales of agricultural products and the dissemination of rural culture, thereby advancing rural revitalization through short videos and other means, it is vital to establish an effective synergistic mechanism among the government, media, platforms, academia, and content creators. 

Zhong Fumin is a professor from the Hakka Studies College at Gannan Normal University. 

Edited by CHEN MIRONG