The contingent representations of distant others: a case of Africa-based Chinese expat vlogs (2015-2024)

This study examines the vlogging practices of Chinese expatriates in Africa (2015 2024) to understand how digital technology s empowering potential is mediated by platform logics, transforming into complex, often unforeseen realities. It identifies new scripts of distant African others crafted for Chinese audiences, unexpectedly generated and popularized through platform contingency. Although these scripts may not align with conventional positive representations, they disrupt the longstanding media segregation between African and Chinese individuals, marking the first extensive portrayal of Africans in evolving, daily interactions with Chinese. However, these portrayals also reflect and reproduce inequalities within global geopolitical and domestic socioeconomic hierarchies, thus limiting their empowerment potential. Future research should explore ways to creatively combine cultural elements within these constraints, fostering more inclusive and diverse representations. This study advances understanding of platform contingency and offers insights for nuanced media representations of distant others in the digital age.