A study on identification of youth identity through a gender lens in network buzzwords: A critical discourse analysis

China had 1.032 billion Internet users by December 2021 with a 73% penetration rate, making cyberspace a key symbolic system for public discourse. The most common linguistic expressions online—network buzzwords—act as vehicles for information and identity expression and can impact social reality. Cyberspace’s freedom, anonymity, and symbolic diversity facilitate identity formation and emotional belonging among youth, with online buzzwords becoming central to youth subcultures now largely situated online. Despite their importance, few studies have examined gendered network buzzwords and youth identity. This study addresses that gap and asks: (Q1) How do young people linguistically construct their identities, in relation to wider discourse and sociocultural contexts, through gender-specific buzzwords? (Q2) What kinds of youth identities, focusing on gender, are reflected in these buzzwords? (Q3) What are the ideological implications of using these gender-specific buzzwords on Weibo? Given growing visibility of gender nonconforming youth in China, analysing how buzzwords reinforce or challenge gender norms is crucial for countering harmful stereotypes and promoting inclusive representations.

The social identity theory frames identity as constructed through language in social, cultural, and historical contexts, highlighting ingroup/outgroup dynamics and processes of classification, identification, and social comparison (Brown 2000; Turner and Reynolds 2010). Social media language uses cultural allusions, humour, and intertextuality to build identity, enabling inclusive communities through identification (Seargeant and Tagg 2014; Bamberg et al. 2011). In China, research on online buzzwords has examined group identity and trends (e.g., yizu/ant tribe and broader typologies of online wordplay; Lian 2011; Guo 2018) and focused on terms like diaosi to explore classed and political dimensions (Huang 2021; Lin and Zhao 2022). Gender-focused studies are few and typically examine one or two terms within specific circles (e.g., leftover women/big heroines; diaosi masculinity; gaofushuai/diaosi in fan talk) showing how populism and chauvinism or media discourses reproduce and contest masculine orders (Yan 2021; Cao 2017; Gong 2016). This study extends prior work by analysing multiple gender-specific buzzwords to understand youth identity construction and its ideological implications.

Data sources: The study draws on the annual Top-Ten Network Buzzwords lists published by Yaowen Jiaozi from 2012 to 2021 to identify influential gender-related terms. Prior evaluations classify buzzword evaluators into media, big data platforms, and search engines; Yaowen Jiaozi was chosen for its consistent releases since 2006, broad influence, and inclusion of positive, negative, and neutral terms. Classification: Following prior definitions of identity (social structure and social construction), identity-related buzzwords were categorised into class, gender, and lifestyle. NVivo 12 Pro was used for coding the annual lists; inter-rater reliability was 0.98, indicating strong consistency. Discrepancies were resolved through discussion. Sampling of discourse data: To examine youth identity in use, purposive sampling of Weibo posts was conducted. For each chosen gender-specific buzzword, the most-liked Weibo post from the most recent three months up to 17 April 2023 was selected, ensuring high influence among youth. Original Chinese content was analysed and back-translated into English. Analytic approach: Critical discourse analysis adopting Fairclough’s dialectical relational approach examined three dimensions: (1) Text (linguistic features and rhetoric of buzzwords used to classify self/others and express value demands); (2) Discourse practice (production, distribution, and consumption, including circle talk and identity projection); (3) Sociocultural practice (integration with popular, official, and elite discourses). The analysis also employed the discursive strategy of nomination (Wodak 2015) for constructing social actors via metaphors, oxymorons, and labels.

Text-level findings: Youth deploy nomination to categorise and differentiate identities, projecting preferred ideals through labels such as bai fu mei (white, rich, beautiful) and gao fu shuai (tall, rich, handsome). These terms objectify by reducing value to looks and wealth and reinforce heteronormativity (e.g., women’s worth tied to proximity to wealthy men). Metaphorical buzzwords lücha biao (green tea bitch), xiao xianrou (little fresh meat), and xiao gongju (little princess) construct perceived identities: lücha biao stigmatizes women as manipulative via sexualised commodification; xiao xianrou objectifies young male celebrities; xiao gongju indexes feminised self-presentation and fan identification (e.g., Jay Chou). Oxymorons like nü hanzi (female man) express contradictory identities balancing resilience with vulnerability, signalling self-awareness. Gendered address terms laoge (old brother), xiao gege (little big brother), and xiao jiejie (little big sister) emphasise attractiveness, youthfulness, seniority, or capability, sometimes implying romantic/sexual interest. Jimei (sisters) promotes sisterhood; shabaitian (silly, white, sweet) denigrates naïveté and reinforces gendered intellect stereotypes. Discourse practice: Buzzwords originate in the interplay of social reality and cyberspace; anonymity enables experimentation and aggression (e.g., lücha biao) alongside self-disclosure (nü hanzi). Transmission proceeds via: (1) social reality + cyberspace; (2) circle stratification through high-context, circle-based language that fosters ingroup cohesion and outgroup exclusion; (3) projection from individual to social identity via meme dynamics (assimilation, memorisation, expression, dissemination), exemplified by fandom terms like xiao xianrou and xiao gongju. Sociocultural practice: Power relations underpin buzzword discourse, which blends public, elite, and official discourses. Most gender-specific buzzwords (9/11) reflect gender conformity, reinforcing traditional roles and patriarchal norms (e.g., bai fu mei, gao fu shuai, jimei, lücha biao, shabaitian, laoge, xiao gege, xiao jiejie, xiao xianrou). A minority (2/11) reflect gender nonconformity (e.g., nü hanzi, xiao gongju), signalling resistance to mainstream gender structures, though such resistance is often co-opted into dominant discourse over time. Additional quantitative detail: inter-rater reliability for coding was 0.98, indicating strong coder agreement.

Findings address Q1 by showing that youth construct identities via nomination, metaphors, oxymorons, and gendered address terms that categorise self/others and project aspirational or stigmatised identities. This construction occurs within circle-based discourse practices that move from individual use to group norms via meme-like diffusion. For Q2, the analysis reveals two broad identity formations: predominantly gender-conforming identities valorising appearance, wealth, masculinity/femininity, and heteronormativity; and a smaller set of gender-nonconforming identities that contest binaries and patriarchal expectations. For Q3, the ideological implications include reproduction of patriarchal and essentialist gender ideologies, objectification, and hierarchy reinforcement, alongside moderated forms of resistance that are often absorbed into mainstream discourse. Network buzzwords thus both mirror and shape sociocultural power dynamics, serving as a negotiation space where youth articulate belonging, status, and dissent.

This study bridges a research gap by applying critical discourse analysis to 11 gender-specific network buzzwords from Yaowen Jiaozi’s annual lists (2012–2021) as used on Weibo, illuminating how youth linguistically construct identities from a gender perspective. Textually, youths use vocabulary choices and rhetorical strategies to define personal and perceived identities and to differentiate themselves from others. In discourse practice, youth as primary producers employ circle-based language to achieve ingroup resonance, with buzzwords diffusing from individual identity claims to broader social identity projections under meme dynamics. Socioculturally, buzzwords intertwine gender-conforming/patriarchal and gender-nonconforming discourses; youths engage in moderated negotiation of gender structures and power relations. The study advances understanding of gendered online wordplay’s role in identity and ideology. Future research could compare platforms and contexts to examine cross-platform dynamics of gendered buzzword usage and identity construction.