Algorithmicized bodies: Account nurturing behaviors on Chinese short video platforms.
Based on in-depth interviews with 18 Chinese TikTok account nurturers and three months of online ethnographic observation, this study reveals how platform algorithms reconstruct users' physical bodies. The research shows that users seeking platform visibility "voluntarily" accept systematic algorith...
| Published in: | Big Data & Society Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 1 - 14 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Sage Publications Inc.
Jan-Mar2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=192697609&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 192697609 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 20539517 KG5N jtl: Big Data & Society issn: 20539517 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Jan-Mar2026 vid: 13 iid: 1 pid: 344 pub: Sage Publications Inc. artinfo: ui: 192697609 10.1177/20539517251407955 ppf: 1 ppct: 13 formats: tig: atl: Algorithmicized bodies: Account nurturing behaviors on Chinese short video platforms. aug: au: Quan, Yizhang affil: School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China su: TikTok (Web resource) Social control Human behavior Social media Social alienation sug: subj: TikTok (Web resource) Social control Human behavior Social media Social alienation keyword: account nurturing algorithmicized body algorithms disciplinary theory platforms ab: Based on in-depth interviews with 18 Chinese TikTok account nurturers and three months of online ethnographic observation, this study reveals how platform algorithms reconstruct users' physical bodies. The research shows that users seeking platform visibility "voluntarily" accept systematic algorithmic modifications to their bodies. Users: (1) manipulate their physiological rhythms, forming an "algorithmic clock"; (2) correct body postures, developing highly precise "movement patterns"; and (3) utilize painful bodily experiences to create "suffering capital." I conceptualize these findings as the "algorithmicized body." These practices present a significant paradox. Users willingly accept and intensify their alienation while pursuing autonomy. They instrumentalize basic physiological functions as traffic resources. By analyzing this microprocess of self-exploitation, the research reveals how platform algorithms not only control behavior as disciplinary devices but also penetrate and reshape users' physiological foundations and perceptual systems. The study extends disciplinary theory to algorithmic environments and offers important insights for platform design ethics and user rights protection. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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