Labeled Identity in the Digital Age: A Case Study of MBTI on Xiaohongshu
(2025) MKVM13 20251Media and Communication Studies
Department of Communication and Media
- Abstract
- In the highly mediated and algorithmic landscape of contemporary Chinese social platforms, identity construction has increasingly shifted from open-ended self-exploration to templated, label-based performance. This study explores the cultural practices of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media platform, as a case of “labeled identity.” As traditional sources of identity such as family background, occupation, and gender weaken in late-modern society to some extent, individuals face the burden of reflexively shaping and managing their own identities. In this context, MBTI offers a seemingly effortless identity solution: not by enabling individuals to construct who they are, but by offering a framework... (More)
- In the highly mediated and algorithmic landscape of contemporary Chinese social platforms, identity construction has increasingly shifted from open-ended self-exploration to templated, label-based performance. This study explores the cultural practices of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media platform, as a case of “labeled identity.” As traditional sources of identity such as family background, occupation, and gender weaken in late-modern society to some extent, individuals face the burden of reflexively shaping and managing their own identities. In this context, MBTI offers a seemingly effortless identity solution: not by enabling individuals to construct who they are, but by offering a framework to “discover” who they already are.
The research investigates two core questions: 1. How do users construct and perform identity through MBTI on social media? 2. How does MBTI function as a labeled identity embedded in platform algorithms and commercial systems? Through qualitative analysis of six MBTI-related content forms: humorous comics, reasoning about personality types of TV series characters, romantic matching, language cosplay, influencer marketing, and a keyword for audience targeting, this study reveals that MBTI is no longer merely a personality test but a widely adopted identity marker. Users use MBTI labels for self-expression, social interaction, and identity performance, etc., while platforms and markets use these labels for algorithmic categorization and monetization. MBTI’s four-letter codes serve as performative scripts that simplify identity into communicable and consumable forms. MBTI is a kind of strategic tool: it offers users psychological comfort, social visibility, and algorithmic compatibility, etc..
This case highlights broader shifts in Chinese digital culture, particularly among younger generations who face intensified pressures from urbanization, education, and workplace competition and so on. The popularity of MBTI signals a turn from content consumption to identity consumption, where identity itself becomes a platform-optimized, commodified asset. Ultimately, the study suggests that understanding MBTI is an entry point to understanding the digital identity in contemporary Chinese social platforms. Labeled identity, as proposed in this research, provides a kind of new perspective for rethinking how individuals negotiate “who I am” under the influence of social media platforms and markets in the digital age. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9188516
- author
- Zhou, Kaili LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MKVM13 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- MBTI, personalty test, labeled identity, identity construction, platform algorithm, commercialization
- language
- English
- id
- 9188516
- date added to LUP
- 2025-07-04 08:39:45
- date last changed
- 2025-07-04 08:39:45
@misc{9188516,
abstract = {{In the highly mediated and algorithmic landscape of contemporary Chinese social platforms, identity construction has increasingly shifted from open-ended self-exploration to templated, label-based performance. This study explores the cultural practices of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media platform, as a case of “labeled identity.” As traditional sources of identity such as family background, occupation, and gender weaken in late-modern society to some extent, individuals face the burden of reflexively shaping and managing their own identities. In this context, MBTI offers a seemingly effortless identity solution: not by enabling individuals to construct who they are, but by offering a framework to “discover” who they already are.
The research investigates two core questions: 1. How do users construct and perform identity through MBTI on social media? 2. How does MBTI function as a labeled identity embedded in platform algorithms and commercial systems? Through qualitative analysis of six MBTI-related content forms: humorous comics, reasoning about personality types of TV series characters, romantic matching, language cosplay, influencer marketing, and a keyword for audience targeting, this study reveals that MBTI is no longer merely a personality test but a widely adopted identity marker. Users use MBTI labels for self-expression, social interaction, and identity performance, etc., while platforms and markets use these labels for algorithmic categorization and monetization. MBTI’s four-letter codes serve as performative scripts that simplify identity into communicable and consumable forms. MBTI is a kind of strategic tool: it offers users psychological comfort, social visibility, and algorithmic compatibility, etc..
This case highlights broader shifts in Chinese digital culture, particularly among younger generations who face intensified pressures from urbanization, education, and workplace competition and so on. The popularity of MBTI signals a turn from content consumption to identity consumption, where identity itself becomes a platform-optimized, commodified asset. Ultimately, the study suggests that understanding MBTI is an entry point to understanding the digital identity in contemporary Chinese social platforms. Labeled identity, as proposed in this research, provides a kind of new perspective for rethinking how individuals negotiate “who I am” under the influence of social media platforms and markets in the digital age.}},
author = {{Zhou, Kaili}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Labeled Identity in the Digital Age: A Case Study of MBTI on Xiaohongshu}},
year = {{2025}},
}