Published
2026-02-11
Section
Research Articles
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Luyun Liang*, S Maartandan A/l Suppiah

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The journal adopts the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0), which means that anyone can reuse and redistribute the materials for non-commercial purposes as long as you follow the license terms and the original source is properly cited.
Author(s) shall retain the copyright of their work and grant the Journal/Publisher rights for the first publication with the work concurrently licensed since 2023 Vol.8 No.2.
Under this license, author(s) will allow third parties to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute and/or copy the content under the condition that the authors are given credit. No permission is required from the authors or the publisher.
This broad license intends to facilitate free access, as well as the unrestricted use of original works of all types. This ensures that the published work is freely and openly available in perpetuity.
By providing open access, the following benefits are brought about:
- Higher Visibility, Availability and Citations-free and unlimited accessibility of the publication over the internet without any restrictions increases citation of the article.
- Ease of search-publications are easily searchable in search engines and indexing databases.
- Rapid Publication – accepted papers are immediately published online.
- Available for free download immediately after publication at https://esp.as-pub.com/index.php/ESP

Copyright Statement
1.The authors certify that the submitted manuscripts are original works, do not infringe the rights of others, are free from academic misconduct and confidentiality issues, and that there are no disputes over the authorship scheme of the collaborative articles. In case of infringement, academic misconduct and confidentiality issues, as well as disputes over the authorship scheme, all responsibilities will be borne by the authors.
2. The author agrees to grant the Editorial Office of Environment and Social Psychology a licence to use the reproduction right, distribution right, information network dissemination right, performance right, translation right, and compilation right of the submitted manuscript, including the work as a whole, as well as the diagrams, tables, abstracts, and any other parts that can be extracted from the work and used in accordance with the characteristics of the journal. The Editorial Board of Environment and Social Psychology has the right to use and sub-licence the above mentioned works for wide dissemination in print, electronic and online versions, and, in accordance with the characteristics of the periodical, for the period of legal protection of the property right of the copyright in the work, and for the territorial scope of the work throughout the world.
3. The authors are entitled to the copyright of their works under the relevant laws of Singapore, provided that they do not exercise their rights in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the Journal.
About Licence
Environment and Social Psychology is an open access journal and all published work is available under the Creative Commons Licence, Authors shall retain copyright of their work and grant the journal/publisher the right of first publication, and their work shall be licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Under this licence, the author grants permission to third parties to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute and/or copy the content with attribution to the author. No permission from the author or publisher is required.
This broad licence is intended to facilitate free access to and unrestricted use of original works of all kinds. This ensures that published works remain free and accessible in perpetuity. Submitted manuscripts, once accepted, are immediately available to the public and permanently accessible free of charge on the journal’s official website (https://esp.as-pub.com/index.php/ESP). Allowing users to read, download, copy, print, search for or link to the full text of the article, or use it for other legal purposes. However, the use of the work must retain the author's signature, be limited to non-commercial purposes, and not be interpretative.
Click to download <Agreement on the Licence for the Use of Copyright on Environmental and Social Psychology>.
How to Cite
Chinese Generation Z Participation in Variety Shows through Social Media: Insights from the Uses-and-Gratifications Theory
Luyun Liang
Universiti Utara Malaysia,College of Arts and Sciences,SCHOOL OF MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATION, Sintok 06010, Kedah, Malaysia
S Maartandan A/l Suppiah
Universiti Utara Malaysia,College of Arts and Sciences,SCHOOL OF MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATION, Sintok 06010, Kedah, Malaysia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v11i2.4205
Keywords: Generation Z; Social Media; Variety Shows; User Motivations; Uses-and-Gratifications Theory; Entertainment Consumption; Real-time Engagement; User-Generated Content (UGC); Cross-Cultural Communication; Fan Engagement
Abstract
Although Generation Z in China is an obscure market with respect to their participation in the variety shows through social media platforms, this study attempts to sensitize the power of interactive capabilities to stimulate the participation as well as the real time involvement in Chinese Generation Z to the variety shows. Based on analyzing the articles in WOS and SCOPUS published between 2015 and 2025 using bibliometric data, essential trends in user motifs, media consumption, and their preferences regarding the platforms are localized. According to the results of the survey, the main reasons that induce the Gen Z population to watch variety shows on social networks are entertainment, socialization, and self-expression. Also, the paper notes the important role of user-generated content (UGC) and engagement mechanisms working in real-time (voting, commenting, and so on) in increasing user involvement and interaction. The analysis further proves that although young people both in China and western cultures are driven by similar motivations, there was still a strong difference in platform preference and content immersion in that Chinese platforms such as Douyin, Weibo, and Bilibili are more interactive than TikTok and Instagram. The paper can add to the knowledge of how social media platforms and variety show producers may become more attuned to the Gen Z behavior and offer insights into the theoretical implementation of Uses-and-Gratifications (U&G) theory into the environment of digital entertainment.
References
[1]. 1.Hu Q, Hu X, Hou P. One Social Media, Distinct Habitus: Generation Z's Social Media Uses and Gratifications and the Moderation Effect of Economic Capital. Frontiers in Psychology. 2022 Jul 13;13:939128.
[2]. 2.Zhang Y. The power of cross-cultural communication: reception and impact of Chinese variety shows on YouTube. Frontiers in Communication. 2025 Apr 28;10:1542139.
[3]. 3.Zhao H, Wang J, Hu X. “A Wandering Existence”: Social Media Practices of Chinese Youth in the Context of Platform-Swinging. Social Media+ Society. 2025 Feb;11(1):20563051251315265.
[4]. 4.Yuan Q. The Impact of Influencers of Short Video Platforms on the Consumer Behaviour of GenerationZ in China. Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies. 2025 Jun 26;1(3).
[5]. 5.Ni Y, Li X, Gao Y, Zhang J, Han P. Is there a better approach to assessing the value of variety shows? A dual-driven method integrating data and knowledge. Entertainment Computing. 2025 Jun 1;54:100951.
[6]. 6.Katz E, Blumler JG, Gurevitch M. Uses and gratifications research. The public opinion quarterly. 1973 Dec 1;37(4):509-23.
[7]. 7.Gao Q, Feng C. Branding with social media: User gratifications, usage patterns, and brand message content strategies. Computers in Human Behavior. 2016 Oct 1;63:868-90.
[8]. 8.Ma L, Gao S, Zhang X. How to use live streaming to improve consumer purchase intentions: evidence from China. Sustainability. 2022 Jan 17;14(2):1045.
[9]. 9.Wibowo AA. Publication trends related to Uses and Gratification Theory on social media. International journal of communication and society. 2022;4(2):258-66.
[10]. 10.Tang L, Omar SZ, Bolong J, Mohd Zawawi JW. Social media use among young people in China: A systematic literature review. Sage Open. 2021 May;11(2):21582440211016421.
[11]. 11.Lu Z, Xia H, Heo S, Wigdor D. You watch, you give, and you engage: a study of live streaming practices in China. InProceedings of the 2018 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems 2018 Apr 21 (pp. 1-13).
[12]. 12.Chen Y, Tao L, Zheng S, Yang S, Li F. What drives viewers’ engagement in travel live streaming: a mixed-methods study from perceived value perspective. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 2025 Jan 2;37(2):418-43.
[13]. 13.Wang J, Balakrishnan B, Wan X, Yu Q, Ye Q. The revival of spiritual practices: Factors influencing the “seeking deities and offering prayers” behavior of China’s Generation Z on social media in an atheistic context. Frontiers in Psychology. 2025 Jan 30;15:1485265.
[14]. 14.Wang B, Liu M. Motivations for Watching Esports on TikTok: A Case of Wuhu Gen z students.
[15]. 15.Wei X, Yagi K. A comparative study of Japanese and Chinese perceptions of Kyoto based on “Little Kyoto” posts on social media. Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering. 2025 Sep 6:1-28.
[16]. 16.Öksüz M, Bulut Ç, Candemir A, Bozkurt I. Digital or physical satisfaction? The effects of consumers’ digital intentions and physical experiences on revisiting the restaurants. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 2025 Feb 1;125:104011.
[17]. 17.Scherr S, Wang K. Explaining the success of social media with gratification niches: Motivations behind daytime, nighttime, and active use of TikTok in China. Computers in human behavior. 2021 Nov 1;124:106893.
[18]. 18.Pang H. Can microblogs motivate involvement in civic and political life? Examining uses, gratifications and social outcomes among Chinese youth. Online Information Review. 2018 Aug 21;42(5):663-80.
[19]. 19.Ahlse J, Nilsson F, Sandström N. It's time to TikTok: Exploring Generation Z's motivations to participate in# Challenges.
[20]. 20.Kim W, Cake DA. Gen Zers’ travel-related experiential consumption on social media: integrative perspective of uses and gratification theory and theory of reasoned action. Journal of International Consumer Marketing. 2025 Mar 15;37(2):89-116.
[21]. 21.Nguyen T, Nguyen DM. What will make Generation Y and Generation Z to continue to use online food delivery services: a uses and gratifications theory perspective. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management. 2024 May 18;33(4):415-42.
[22]. 22.ZHENG C, IBRAHIM F. The Review of Gratifications from Visual Communication Content Among Douyin Users. Higher Education and Oriental Studies. 2024 Mar 1;4(1).
[23]. 23.Huang T, Bao Z, Li Y. Why do players purchase in mobile social network games? An examination of customer engagement and of uses and gratifications theory. Program. 2017 Sep 5;51(3):259-77.
[24]. 24.Quan‐Haase A, Young AL. The uses and gratifications (U&G) approach as a lens for studying social media practice. The handbook of media and mass communication theory. 2014 Apr 28:269-86.
[25]. 25.Chen H, Zolkepli IA. Cyberbullying and bystanders: A bibliometric analysis. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies. 2025 Feb 13;15(1):e202510.
[26]. 26.Huang T, Bao Z, Li Y. Why do players purchase in mobile social network games? An examination of customer engagement and of uses and gratifications theory. Program. 2017 Sep 5;51(3):259-77.
[27]. 27.Passas I. Bibliometric analysis: the main steps. Encyclopedia. 2024 Jun 20;4(2).
[28]. 28.Van Eck N, Waltman L. Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping. scientometrics. 2010 Aug 1;84(2):523-38.
[29]. 29.Ghorbani BD. Bibliometrix: Science mapping analysis with R Biblioshiny based on Web of Science in applied linguistics. InA scientometrics research perspective in applied linguistics 2024 Feb 8 (pp. 197-234). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
[30]. 30.Aria M, Cuccurullo C. bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of informetrics. 2017 Nov 1;11(4):959-75.






