The fusion of tradition and modernity: How intangible cultural heritage content on Douyin is associated with audience cultural identity

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) has attracted numerous people because of its unique aesthetics and cultural value as a legacy inherited from our ancestors that embodies profound wisdom and unique cultural meaning. However, with the development and changes in our environment and customs, it is difficult to be exposed to ICH in our daily lives. Short video platforms, such as Douyin, have introduced new methods of transmitting messages, expanding the accessibility of ICH. People can access ICH content without any constraints from space or geography. Will cultural identity be affected by the increasing frequency of ICH content consumption? We applied Cultivation Theory to answer this question and examined whether it applied to the relationship between consuming ICH content on Douyin and cultural identity. Additionally, cognition, perceived aesthetics, and perceived value were introduced as mediators to investigate the mechanisms through which consuming ICH content on Douyin influences cultural identity.