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УДК 070 EDN KXKZOT
DOI 10.17150/2308-6203.2022.11(4).772-781 Научная статья
ЁУУ
Ритуалы и формирование коллективной памяти в эпоху социальных сетей: на примере пекинских храмовых ярмарок
Вэнь Цин В
Китайский университет коммуникаций, Пекин, Китай, wenqing1004@cuc.edu.cn
Аннотация. В Китае существует давняя народная культурная практика, известная как Пекинская храмовая ярмарка. Благодаря своим большим и оживленным храмовым ярмаркам, она уже давно привлекает к себе страстное участие миллионов людей. Социальные сети, ритуалы и коллективная память становятся все более взаимосвязанными по мере развития медиа-технологий. Храмовые ярмарки превратились в онлайн-традицию или явление в эпоху социальных сетей. Как это повлияет на формирование коллективной памяти местных жителей? Как это изменит коллективную память людей о храмовых ярмарках в целом? Цель данной статьи — исследовать средства массовой информации как средство коммуникации в процессе технологического развития, начав с теории ритуала в антропологических исследованиях, ритуальной концепции коммуникации в исследованиях коммуникации, а также культурной памяти и культурной идентичности самих людей. Распространение и представление медийных ритуалов на сцене ускорило процесс создания коллективной памяти и дало расширенное представление о том, как создание коллективной памяти на Пекинской храмовой ярмарке можно объяснить как медийный ритуал. Чтобы собрать информацию из первых рук, в этой статье в качестве выбранных методов исследования используются полуструктурированные и глубинные интервью. Это направляет беседу, позволяя обсуждать интересные темы и приводить примеры, полностью используя энтузиазм интервьюируемых и глубоко вникая в их собственные личности и уникальный опыт. Для определения респондентов в основном использовался метод выборки в виде снежного кома. В конечном итоге, для этого исследования было опрошено в общей сложности 20 респондентов, и дополнительные данные были собраны для него с помощью комбинации онлайн- и офлайн-интервью. Исследование показало, что пекинские храмовые ярмарки как церемония среднего уровня хорошо известны и обожаемы широкой публикой. Сама храмовая ярмарка превратилась в место для социального взаимодействия и отдыха. Включение платформ социальных сетей увеличило глубину и широту Пекинской храмовой ярмарки и, в некоторой степени, способствовало ее тщательному распространению и процессу строительства. Большинство медиакомпаний и коммуникационных агентств также разработали свои собственные профили и платформы в социальных сетях. Ритуалы социальных сетей, отображаемые на их медиа-платформах, более удивительны по сравнению с индивидуальными коммуникаторами благодаря их профессиональным инструментам и технологиям. Это также в некоторой степени поддерживает создание и изменение формы
коллективной памяти. В то же время, использование социальных сетей помогло пекинским храмовым ярмаркам стать более известными и развитыми, а также предоставило более практичные способы создания общей памяти о пекинских храмовых ярмарках. Социальные сети, с одной стороны, влияют на повседневное поведение и коллективную память о чем-либо, но, с другой стороны, коммуникатор бессознательно редактирует и адаптирует то, что они говорят, что, в свою очередь, влияет на то, как их аудитория воспринимает и осмысливает это событие. Но очевидно, что у этих исследований также есть недостатки. Прежде всего, это ограничено исследованием одного ритуала, и необходимо тщательно подтвердить, можно ли широко распространить его на другие интернет-ритуалы. Во-вторых, этот тип онлайн-ритуального поведения обусловлен определенным культурным фоном, поэтому он все еще нуждается в более тщательном рассмотрении и исследовании относительно того, требуется ли приспосабливаться к местным условиям при работе с различными культурными корнями. Это будет постоянным направлением для будущих исследований в этой области.
Ключевые слова. Медийный ритуал, коллективная память, Пекинские храмовые ярмарки, социальные сети, культурная идентичность.
Информация о статье. Дата поступления 3 ноября 2022 г.; дата поступления после доработки 10 ноября 2022 г.; дата принятия к печати 14 ноября 2022 г.; дата онлайн-размещения 15 декабря 2022 г.
Original article
Rituals and Collective Memory Construction in the Age of Social Media: A Case Study of Beijing Temple Fairs
Qing Wen ^
Communication University of China, Beijing, China, wenqing1004@cuc.edu.cn
Abstract. Beijing Temple Fair is a long-standing practice in Chinese folk culture. For a very long time, millions of people have enthusiastically participated in the massive and vibrant temple fairs. As media technology develops, temple fairs have developed into an online tradition or phenomena in the social media age. This article aims to explore the media as a communication carrier in the process of technological development by beginning with the theory of ritual in anthropological research, the ritual concept of communication in communication research, and the cultural memory and cultural identity of human beings themselves. This paper uses semi-structured and in-depth interviews as research methods. The study discovered that, as medium ceremony, Beijing temple fairs are well known and adored by the general public. The inclusion of social media platforms has increased the Beijing Temple Fair's depth and breadth and, to some extent, has sparked its thorough distribution and construction process.
Keywords. Media ritual, collective memory, Beijing Temple Fairs, social media, cultural identity.
Article info. Received November 3, 2022; revised November 10, 2022; accepted November 14, 2022; available online December 15, 2022.
1. Introduction
There are strong connections between social media, rituals, and collective memory [1]. In this article, we use the traditional temple fairs in Beijing as an example. Temple fairs are often known as festivals since they are a traditional component of Chinese folk culture. These names' historical roots are implied by the way they have evolved to become temple fairs. It has tremendously significant social and historical justifications as a societal tradition. The religious practices of Buddhist or Tao-ist temples have a significant influence on the customs and habits of temple fairs. At the same time, they have simultaneously evolved, improved, and gained popularity alongside folk belief activities. They have been utilized as a significant form of prayer for more than a millennium. Large-scale, energetic temple fairs have drawn millions of people's enthusiastic participation for a very long time. The three essential components of temple fairs are God worship, commercial activity, and cultural entertainment. Today, the role of religion is comparatively waning while the roles of commerce and entertainment have grown. Thus, a social phenomenon wherein people make the temple fair their focal point, materialize the gathering of friends, take their entire family on vacation, travel with their coworkers, and intensify their emotions.
In this study, we will investigate how, in the era of social media, Beijing temple fairs have evolved into an online phenomenon or ritual. How will this affect the local population as they construct their collective memory? How will it alter people's memories of Beijing temple fairs in general? When interpreting media and rituals, the ritual
view of communication [2] believing that communication upholds the bond of social existence. He noted that communication is not just the surface-level transmission of information but also every ritual activity that upholds social relations and social life. A media event is a current affairs story that is delivered through electronic (television) media, which enables it to have a novel storytelling style and elicit broad, current interest. It can be classified into three categories: "race," "conquest," and "coronation." [3, p. 11-13] Through communal ritual participation, it unites people's hearts, integrates ideals, and reawakens people's associations with law and order. The term "media ritual" is used to describe "the process in which a large audience engages in a common activity or a specific event through the mass media and ultimately produces a symbolic action or symbolic symbol [4]." Among them, media rituals are the ritualized presentation of media events, while media events are the foundation and fundamental component of media rituals. This shows that media rituals and the creation of collective memory are intrinsically intertwined. Using temple fairs as an example, this essay tries to explain the ritual conceptions that Beijing temple fairs have taken on in the social media age. And relying on the symbolic power of online rituals, the study tries to discuss how these ritual concepts affect and express the collective memory of people about Beijing temple fairs.
2. Literature Review
The roots of ritual theory can be found in the nineteenth century, when it was initially classified as an anthropological theory. Additionally, ritual does not
have a predetermined interpretation in anthropological studies. Ritual is a type of supernormal behavior that differs from the normal behavior of life and is the result of a particular circumstance [5].
James Carey introduced rituals to journalism and communication in the 1970s. He [2] put out the idea of ritualized communication and held that, like religious rituals, rituals expressed the social maintenance function of communication. In addition to considering a different perspective on communication from the perspective of cultural heritage, this notion integrates ritual, media, and cultural communication. According to the communication ritual view, communication is a sacred mass ceremonial in which participants should pay attention to how certain values and worldviews are described and reinforced during routine ritual activities. According to this theory, communication serves as a ritual medium that can awaken the common cultural memory and national emotion of the audience, attract them to participate in the construction of cultural community, and complete the spiritual root-seeking journey of national and other cultural communities. Ritual is therefore inextricably linked to the cultural memory and cultural identity of people themselves, whether viewed from the standpoint of ritual as a medium or from the perspective that mass media itself is a ritual.
The development of media ritual contributes to the formation of an "imagined community". The American communication expert explains the ritual is the most elegant and applicable way to maintain social order [6]. Dur-kheim [7] believed that rituals help to form a collective identity, and rituals provide participants with a moment of shared experience that stimulates, en-
hances or reshapes the collective consciousness and identity of individual members, and promotes a high degree of consistency in beliefs, emotions, and wishes. Anderson [8, p.191-195] points out that the "compatriots" connected through the medium of print, in all of their ordinary, unique, and "visible and unseen" forms, are the beginnings of the nation's imagined community. In other words, the members of the community are connected by the medium, and the dispersed members "imagined" an interconnected whole mainly through the medium. It is easy to see how rituals are intimately connected to cultural identity and collective memory. Rituals also give us a fresh viewpoint and a solid grounding for studying collective memory.
The rituals shaped and broadcast by the media nowadays, when media terminals are pervasive, are crucial in the formation of social identity and communal memory. It widens the public realm of media ritual display, dismantles the limits of time and space for media ritual transmission, and offers a firm basis for the creation, development, and diffusion of collective memory. No matter how communal memory exists, it requires public material media as the foundation and bearer [9]. The advancement of technology has made this form of communication commonplace in modern life. The practice of people getting information through media platforms has become a common ritual in the social media age.
In conclusion, the literature study on media, rituals, and collective memory offers a wider perspective for describing how the Beijing Temple Fair's media ceremonial constructs collective memory. It is not difficult to discover that media, rituals, and collective mem-
ory are inextricably linked. As a medium of communication, media provides a stage for the presentation of media rituals, and the transmission of media rituals speeds up the process of creating collective memory.
3. Research Method
Through rich interview data and materials, in-depth interviews, as a qualitative research method, can thoroughly and profoundly comprehend the entire process of the formation, development, and change of a particular thing. In order to thoroughly pique the attention of the respondents and delve deeply into their individual personalities and unique experiences to gather first-hand knowledge, this study uses semi-structured interviews as a specific research approach. In-depth interviews covered a range of topics, including demographics, media use and information exposure, emotional attitudes toward Beijing temple fairs, and whether and how social media usage altered their collective memory of Beijing temple fairs. The approach of snowball sampling was mostly used to determine the respondents. A total of 20 respondents were ultimately interviewed for this study, and additional data was gathered for it through a combination of online and offline interviews.
4. Study Results
4.1 Media Rituals
The so-called media ritual is a "coronation" event hosted by the media for the entities, individuals, and locations featured on the media [6]. In essence, the Beijing Temple Fair Media ritual is a temple fair that the participants have prepared, using social media to provide users a communal Watch the Media ritual experience.
"A ritual is a voluntary performance of suitable normative conduct to symbolically influence and engage in serious life" [6], internet users are welcome to take part in the "non-daily" main event or popular activity of the Beijing Temple Fair via the social mediax. In order to offer a symbolic and performative media ritual, the media must complete the construction logic by constructing the ritual situation, conveying the ritual behavior and ritual viewing.
One of these is the ritual situation, which may be thought of as a virtual world created by a series of symbols and two detectable modes of vision and hearing. Ritual is, in other words, "a collection of symbols" [5]. In social media, the context of Beijing temple fair ceremonies is created using visual and aural symbolism.
Ritual behavior differs from normal behavior in life, and is a kind of "extraordinary" behavior. It is a way of acting that conveys particular spiritual ideals (such belief and social engagement) [5]. Ritual is, therefore, a collection of "strange" actions that individuals conduct in the form of performances, resulting in the formation of an "exceptional" behavior pattern that gives significance to objects, people, and environments.
4.2 The presentation of media rituals in the era of social media
We are now able to live in a society that is heavily reliant on media thanks to the advancement of media technologies. Most of the communicators for the media ceremonies during the Beijing temple fair presentations are regular people who attend the fairs and use smart media terminals. On their personal accounts, they either share short videos with scenes from Beijing
temple fairs or images relating to those events. They shaped and created the common memory of Beijing temple fairs using their own techniques. In this context, they are the main body of communication of this collective memory. The ritual itself is a complicated system of interconnected symbols and meanings. Just like the concepts of the signifier and the signified in the semiotics of linguist [10, p. 33-34], the signified in the presentation of media rituals in Beijing temple fairs includes various material existences presented in Beijing temple fairs, such as blessing rituals, market trade activities, and entertainment. It contains the signifier of the Beijing Temple Fair, which covers the profound Taoist and Buddhist culture, the image of the city of Beijing, and the optimistic and cheerful personality of Beijingers. The Beijing Temple Fair symbol is generated, interpreted, and used, and acquires a new symbolic meaning as a result of the interaction flow of symbols and meanings. Through ritual, the real world is organically merged with the imagined world via a full set of symbols, forming a comparatively stable and long-term spiritual awareness about Beijing temple fairs, promoting and accelerating people's memory framework about Beijing temple fairs, and improving people's understanding of Beijing temple fairs. Temple fairs' cultural identity is very important and valuable for fostering the creation of collective memory.
Beijing Temple Fair, as a media event, can replicate the true scene of Beijing Temple Fair through media in the modern media environment"[11, p. 23-26], the British researcher Nick Couldry identified and examined the concept of media pilgrimage. He feels that the term's primary meaning has to
do with visiting significant spots in the media narrative. The media pilgrimage has gradually lost the mystic color portrayed by traditional media and has changed into a ritualized act of confronting reality and cyberspace in the framework of "de-enchantment" in the modern setting. As a result, a larger cultural ritual place is needed in order to share Beijing temple fair media rituals, although the structure of this space is only relevant to Beijing temple fair rituals.
In the era of social media, there are basically two types of participants in the Beijing temple fair's social media communication. Self-media and commonplace personal social media platforms make up one, while social organizations and professional media agencies communicate through the media in the other. Under the auspices of media technology, numerous social media communication ceremonies allow people who are hidden, dispersed, and mobile in different time, space and places, to share this grand media ritual and feel and experience the cultural identity and collective memory brought by the media ritual [12, p. 46-48].
A ritual is a form of communication, and vice versa. The communication expert Rothenbuhler [6] argues for this position he emphasizes, "Any type of ritual is a form of communication, and ritual is typically displayed in social contexts as symbolic action. It embodies the logic of symbols and meaning systems and is founded on the most fundamental ideas and values. Its characteristics make it the most efficient method of communication." Rituals create a systematic communication within a certain time and space range using media symbols, media procedures, media atmosphere, media per-
formances, etc. Rituals also transmit the meaning of metaphors to participants in the form of synesthesia and resonance, so as to stabilize the values of the group. In other words, through group contact, the values, morals, and feelings expressed at Beijing temple fairs are described and strengthened, becoming part of the long-lasting cultural memory of the nation, the country and the community.
4.3 Individuals construct collective memory in media rituals
Bakhtin [13, p. 32-33] was the first to present the idea of "carnival." Social media has made everyone an equal and free participant with the ability to express themselves. Collective carnival has become a common phenomenon in cyberspace.
All cultures and rituals will be impacted by the media environment in the social media era where everyone is a TV station [14, p. 76-77]. The media, which is dominated by social media, has contributed to the growth and alteration of folklore as a powerful force that cannot be disregarded. It can maximize the number of attendees at the celebration site and realize the value of the event's sharing through its replication and transmission, which accelerates the generation of collective memory and cultural identity. The reproduction and spread of media rituals on social media offers a wider viewpoint in terms of time and place for the growth and spread of folk cultural activities. Through online involvement modes like viewing, commenting, and liking, it enables people who exist in various physical areas and eras to coexist in the same environment and share the same value opportunities. The attendees of the Beijing Temple
Fair successfully transmitted information via their individual social media platforms, realizing the coexistence of time and space about the integration of the Beijing Temple Fair, and fostering the creation of collective memory.
The participating organizations in Beijing temple fairs frequently use and accept Tik-Tok, WeChat Moments, WeChat groups, and Weibo. People can post texts, images, audio, video, and other relevant materials about the Beijing Temple Fair on their own social media platforms. They can also copy and edit the pertinent backstage footage of the Beijing Temple Fair before sharing it. The personal cognition and emotional attitude regarding the Beijing temple fair are among the contents of the personal communication. The description and perception of the Beijing temple fair by the information recipients will be somewhat impacted by this type of information dissemination content. In essence, the process of creating collective memory is one of social construction and involves the psychological transformation of the groups that were present for the Beijing Temple Fair.
As a form of medium ceremony, Beijing temple fairs are well recognized and adored by the general public. The temple fair itself has developed into a venue for social interaction and relaxation. The inclusion of social media platforms has increased the Beijing Temple Fair's depth and breadth, and to some extent has sparked its thorough distribution and construction process.
4.4 Professional media agencies build collective memory in media rituals
By virtue of their professionalism and depth, mass communication companies continue to serve an indispens-
able purpose even in the age of social media. In the era of social media, most communication agencies and media organizations have also created their own social media accounts and platforms. When compared to individual communicators, their professional equipment and technology heighten the shock value of the social media rituals displayed on their media platforms, which helps develop and shape collective memory in part. Professional media organizations upload visual images about Beijing temple fairs on their social media platforms [15, p. 101-102]. On the one hand, this can recreate the vibrant folk scenes and cultural environment of Beijing temple fairs for those who can't be there. On the other hand, from the perspective of the symbolic significance, Beijing temple fairs can be interpreted the ceremonial meaning of them through the use of the media. According to the media agenda setting theory, online ritual behavior of professional media organizations not only helps the audience grasp the frame structure of the Beijing Temple Fair, but also has an impact on how each individual perceives the event. As described by the knowledge gap theory [16], the accessibility of media affects media contact behavior of different social groups and formation of knowledge. As a result, the widespread dissemination effect and social influence of media phenomena are facilitated by the propagation of some media phenomena in the form of media rituals. Therefore, the dissemination of some media phenomena in the form of media rituals is conducive to the wider dissemination effect and social impact of media phenomena.
The use of social media has also helped Beijing temple fairs become more widely known and developed,
and provided more practical ways of construction of collective memory in Beijing temple fairs. Social media platforms have, on the one hand, created a virtual space field concerning Beijing temple fairs by using texts, images, au-dios, and video components.
This alters the media ceremony's operational mechanism and cultural mechanism, shifting the focus from analysis and insight into the ceremony's substance and meaning to research among media users who are influenced by the media platform and centering on the media platform.
This alters the operating mechanism and cultural mechanism that the media ritual carries, expanding from analytical insights into ritual content and meaning to investigations among media users who are influenced by the media platform and centering on the media platforms. On the other hand, the use of social media produces a collective memory of media phenomena, and the preservation of this collective memory necessitates the continued use of social media. For instance, we disseminate information about media ceremonies via social media platforms, which relies on the favorable effects of media technology. Making this act generate collective memory about Beijing temple fairs requires people to inquire, read, understand, and memorize relevant information through social media.
5. Conclusion
This study investigates Beijing temple fairs' online ritual behavior in the era of social media. We can better understand the effects and reshaping of social media use on people's daily behavior and memory by examining media rituals and collective memory.
On the one hand, social media platforms provide more opportunities for Beijing temple fairs to showcase and present themselves, whether it is the pre-heating of Beijing temple fairs, the reproduction of the situation of Beijing temple fairs, or the views and discussions of Beijing temple fairs. To a certain extent, the exposure of the Beijing Temple Fair has been increased, allowing people to perceive and feel the Beijing Temple Fair in addition to the immersive experience. These are the results of the joint efforts of professional media social media platforms and personal self-media platforms. An effective form of Beijing temple fair for people to shape their daily behavior and cognitive memory.
On the one hand, social media platforms give Beijing temple festivals additional options to advertise and market themselves, whether it be by pre-heating, simulating the environment of Beijing temple fairs, or sharing opinions and conversations about Beijing temple fairs. To a certain extent, the Beijing Temple Fair's visibility has grown, enabling visitors to perceive and enjoy the fair in addition to having an immersive experience. These are the outcomes of the collaborative efforts of personal media platforms and professional social media platforms. An
excellent way for people to alter their daily behavior and cognitive memory is through the Beijing Temple Fair.
In general, it is obvious that social media has expanded the avenues of communication for Beijing temple fairs in the modern era, but the information on Beijing temple fairs on social media also somewhat restricts people's ability to fully comprehend Beijing temple fairs. Only via constant advancements in algorithmic technology dissemination can time expand. People's memories of the Beijing Temple Fair are improving, propagating, and revising over time as a result of their frequent use of social media, and they eventually reach resonance with the collective memory and emotion of the Beijing Temple Fair.
It is worth mentioning that the study has some shortcomings. First, it is restricted to a single ritual, and it needs to be confirmed whether the results of this research can be fairly demonstrative concerning other internet rituals. Second, this type of online ritual behavior is produced by a particular cultural background, therefore it still needs more careful consideration and investigation as to whether it is required to adjust to local circumstances when dealing with diverse cultural backgrounds. This will be an ongoing direction for future research in this field.
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Информация об авторе
Вэнь Цин — аспирант, Институт коммуникаций, Китайский университет коммуникаций, Пекин, Китай, wenqing1004@cuc.edu.cn, О https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9633-6371.
Author Information
Qing Wen — PhD Student, Communication Institute, Communication University of China, Beijing, China, wenqing1004@cuc.edu.cn, О https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9633-6371.
Для цитирования
Вэнь Цин. Ритуалы и формирование коллективной памяти в эпоху социальных сетей: на примере пекинских храмовых ярмарок / Цин Вэнь. — DOI 10.17150/2308-6203.2022.11(4).772-781. — EDN KXKZOT // Вопросы теории и практики журналистики. — 2022. — Т. 11, № 4. — С. 772-781.
For Nation
Wen Qing. Rituals and Collective Memory Construction in the Age of Social Media: A Case Study of Beijing Temple Fairs. Voprosy teorii i praktiki zhurnalistiki = Theoretical and Practical Issues of Journalism, 2022, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 772-781. (In Russian). EDN: KXKZOT DOI: 10.17150/2308-6203.2022.11(4).772-781.
