Constructing Scientific Motherhood on Red Note: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Mum Bloggers, Platform Mechanisms and User Interactions
(2025) MKVM13 20251Media and Communication Studies
Department of Communication and Media
- Abstract
- This thesis analyzes the construction and reproduction of ideal motherhood discourse on the Chinese social media platform Red Note, focusing specifically on the discursive strategies of mum bloggers, user interactions, and the platform's influence in this process. Employing Fairclough's three-dimensional critical discourse analysis framework, the thesis analyzes the textual, discursive, and social practices of selected mum bloggers' posts and comments, aiming to uncover the interplay between content production, user interaction, and platform mechanisms.
The study found that mum bloggers, by combining professional parenting knowledge and personal experience with emotional narratives, construct an image of scientific motherhood that is both... (More) - This thesis analyzes the construction and reproduction of ideal motherhood discourse on the Chinese social media platform Red Note, focusing specifically on the discursive strategies of mum bloggers, user interactions, and the platform's influence in this process. Employing Fairclough's three-dimensional critical discourse analysis framework, the thesis analyzes the textual, discursive, and social practices of selected mum bloggers' posts and comments, aiming to uncover the interplay between content production, user interaction, and platform mechanisms.
The study found that mum bloggers, by combining professional parenting knowledge and personal experience with emotional narratives, construct an image of scientific motherhood that is both authoritative and relatable. They frequently cite parenting guides from authoritative experts and institutions, and use imperative and instructive discourse and sophisticated visual expression to produce content that aligns with the preferences of platform's algorithm. User responses are predominantly identification-based and consultative, further strengthening the stability of this maternal discourse on the platform. While there are also numerous questioning or critical voices from users, they are often marginalized and receive little response due to the constraints of the platform's mechanisms. The analysis reveals that the dominant discourse of scientific motherhood on Red Note is jointly constructed by mum bloggers, the platform's structure and user interactions, and is deeply connected to neoliberalism, postfeminism, and the anxieties of China's urban middle class.
In addition, this study also identified a small number of bloggers who promoted an emotionally critical type of motherhood. This theory places greater emphasis on women's subjectivity and freedom of identity, arguing that women should not be constrained by their role as mothers. While this discourse is not mainstream, it offers an alternative possibility for the discipline of motherhood and, to a certain extent, poses a mild challenge to traditional gender divisions and maternal discipline. This study reveals the role of Chinese social media in shaping ideal motherhood and reflects the tension between the disciplinary power of digital platforms and the subjectivity of their users. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9209869
- author
- Li, Shuxing LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MKVM13 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- neoliberalism, motherhood, knowledge, feminism, participatory culture, platform mechanisms
- language
- English
- id
- 9209869
- date added to LUP
- 2025-09-09 15:01:33
- date last changed
- 2025-09-09 15:01:33
@misc{9209869,
abstract = {{This thesis analyzes the construction and reproduction of ideal motherhood discourse on the Chinese social media platform Red Note, focusing specifically on the discursive strategies of mum bloggers, user interactions, and the platform's influence in this process. Employing Fairclough's three-dimensional critical discourse analysis framework, the thesis analyzes the textual, discursive, and social practices of selected mum bloggers' posts and comments, aiming to uncover the interplay between content production, user interaction, and platform mechanisms.
The study found that mum bloggers, by combining professional parenting knowledge and personal experience with emotional narratives, construct an image of scientific motherhood that is both authoritative and relatable. They frequently cite parenting guides from authoritative experts and institutions, and use imperative and instructive discourse and sophisticated visual expression to produce content that aligns with the preferences of platform's algorithm. User responses are predominantly identification-based and consultative, further strengthening the stability of this maternal discourse on the platform. While there are also numerous questioning or critical voices from users, they are often marginalized and receive little response due to the constraints of the platform's mechanisms. The analysis reveals that the dominant discourse of scientific motherhood on Red Note is jointly constructed by mum bloggers, the platform's structure and user interactions, and is deeply connected to neoliberalism, postfeminism, and the anxieties of China's urban middle class.
In addition, this study also identified a small number of bloggers who promoted an emotionally critical type of motherhood. This theory places greater emphasis on women's subjectivity and freedom of identity, arguing that women should not be constrained by their role as mothers. While this discourse is not mainstream, it offers an alternative possibility for the discipline of motherhood and, to a certain extent, poses a mild challenge to traditional gender divisions and maternal discipline. This study reveals the role of Chinese social media in shaping ideal motherhood and reflects the tension between the disciplinary power of digital platforms and the subjectivity of their users.}},
author = {{Li, Shuxing}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Constructing Scientific Motherhood on Red Note: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Mum Bloggers, Platform Mechanisms and User Interactions}},
year = {{2025}},
}