Carnival and Loneliness: Embodiment of Emotion in Chinese Youth Internet Subculture (Based on Danmu Culture)

Based on Jenkins’ theory of “participatory culture” and Danmu culture (Bilibili website), the paper explores the reasons for Chinese youth groups’ active participation in Danmu culture and analyses the embodiment of emotions in Chinese youth internet subculture. It is argued that the development of Internet technologies enabled the young generation to have an opportunity to actively participate in the discussion of socio-cultural phenomena online. This act of discussion expresses emotions in the form of Danmu with a strong carnivalesque colouring. However, beneath the mask of the apparent carnival atmosphere lies the real loneliness of youth. These emotions are closely related to the virtual and anonymous nature of the online environment, but they are inseparable from the social context.