Overt conviviality and covert distress: Navigating the emotional experiences of left-behind women via Douyin in rural China

Emotions-as-practices involve an open, embodied, and meaning-making process as digital technologies can shape and transform how emotions are enacted. This study uses the concepts of emotional affordances and affective practice in digital culture to investigate the online emotional experiences of Chinese left-behind women living in a rural location. From an analysis of Douyin (TikTok) video posts and interviews with 18 participants, the study develops a notion of ‘ambivalent
positivity’ manifested by overt conviviality and the repressed negativity of distress and separation. Furthermore, rural women are obligated to maintain the norm of positivity that is deeply intertwined with their gender roles and social relations. These practices are evident in and through Douyin use, such as beauty filters, streamlined video editing, and background music. Responding to the ambivalence of positivity, we argue that social media empower rural women to achieve positive self-representation; however, they remain constrained within social-cultural conditions as left-behind rural women in a patriarchal society. Findings contribute to understanding how interactional offline-online contexts shape dynamic emotional experiences.