AFCT’s Faculty–student collaborative research was published in Media, Culture & Society

Recently, a co-authored study by Dr Yiming Chen from the Academy of Film and Creative Technology and MSc Cultural and Creative Industries student Diya Cai has been published in the internationally recognised journal Media, Culture & Society. The article forms part of Dr Chen’s ongoing research project on platform governance and content creators, with Diya Cai making a substantial research contribution through her active participation in the project.

Article Title:
From Emotional Struggle to Digital Resistance: How Content Creators Challenge Platform Copyright Governance and Reconstruct Identity
DOI: 10.1177/01634437261422575

Research Focus and Contribution: How Do Creators Respond to Platform Governance in Copyright?

The study addresses an underexplored question: how do content creators’ emotions, practices, and identities evolve when confronting platform copyright governance? Through a systematic analysis of publicly available narrative videos produced by Chinese content creators involved in copyright disputes, the research identifies a dynamic process from “emotional struggle” to “digital negotiation.” Creators critically engage with platform algorithms and moderation systems, transform personal grievances into public discourse through affective storytelling, and ultimately redefine the cultural meaning of originality in practice—shifting from platform-dependent participants to rights-bearing subjects.

This research offers a micro-level, affective, and culturally embedded perspective on creative labour within platform ecosystems, while also providing empirically grounded insights for improving platform governance policies.

Research–Teaching Integration: Postgraduate Engagement in Frontier Research

This publication exemplifies the Academy’s commitment to a research-led teaching approach. As part of her postgraduate training, Diya Cai was deeply involved in the research project, co-authoring the paper and contributing to key stages, including research design, data analysis, and theoretical development. This experience has significantly strengthened her academic research capabilities and critical engagement with real-world issues in the cultural and creative industries. The Academy will continue to integrate high-quality research with teaching to cultivate globally minded and research-driven talent.

Media, Culture & Society, published by SAGE and established in 1986, is a leading SSCI Q1 (JCR) journal in cultural studies, widely recognised for its contributions to media sociology and cultural research, particularly at the intersection of media technologies, cultural policy, and social change.

Contributed by Yunyi Xue

Edited by Wenzhen Li