This study examines a unique narrative sparked by internet celebrity Xiang Ligang's accusation of Apple for misleading network indicators on iPhones. Xiang's critique, initially focused on Apple's technical claims, rapidly expanded into a broader social and political commentary. He positioned female iPhone users as intellectually deficient and negatively influenced societal contributions, a sentiment amplified by the ongoing discussion surrounding 5G technology and its competition between Huawei and Apple. This occurred during the launch of the iPhone 15 and Huawei Mate 60, heightening nationalist sentiment. Opinion leaders like Zhang Weiwei, Dean of China Studies Institute at Fudan University, further fueled this narrative by framing the Huawei-Apple rivalry as a proxy for Sino-American geopolitical competition. Zhang, on a popular TV show, directly connected Huawei’s success to a victory in the US-China tech war, explicitly calling for national support of Huawei. This narrative, resonating with Xiang’s commentary, was further validated by a public exchange between US and Chinese diplomats comparing Chinese-made cars to iPhones, highlighting the trend of nationalizing smartphone brands in China’s digital sphere. This research aims to uncover the complex intersection of techno-nationalism, gender biases, and misogyny within this context. The study acknowledges the challenges faced by feminism in China due to state censorship and the resulting prevalence of “state-sanctioned misogyny.” This created a fertile ground for the spread of misogynistic narratives, particularly on platforms like Douyin, selected for its high user engagement and diverse demographic.

Existing scholarship highlights the influence of digital nationalism on state politics in China, but there's a significant gap in research addressing the intersection of digital nationalism and misogyny. While some scholars have examined the relationship between nationalism and misogyny in China, the nexus between digital nationalism rooted in technological consumption and misogyny remains largely unexplored. This study addresses this gap by analyzing how techno-nationalistic sentiments intertwine with and amplify gender biases. The literature review also explores the complex evolution of gender politics in post-reform China, marked by the resurgence of patriarchal norms alongside increased feminist activism. The ambivalent government stance towards feminism is noted, highlighting its contribution to the propagation of misogynistic ideologies online. Studies on the global rise of online misogyny, its diverse manifestations, and its connection to broader anti-feminist and reactionary masculinities are discussed, laying the groundwork for understanding the specific context within China. The role of social media platforms in amplifying misogynistic narratives and their algorithmic contribution to echo chambers is also reviewed.

This study employs a mixed-methods approach combining Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA) with Corpus-Assisted Discourse Analysis (CADA). The FCDA framework, grounded in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), utilizes a feminist lens to examine the construction and impact of gender ideologies and power dynamics within discourse. Fairclough's three-dimensional CDA model guides the analysis, examining the text, discourse practice, and social practice. The CADA component leverages corpus linguistics techniques to analyze the collected data. Data was collected by web crawling comments from the ten most-liked Douyin videos related to the hashtag #Xiang Ligang Questions Apple 5G Fraud. This yielded a corpus of 11,466 comments, comprising 123,587 tokens. Data preprocessing involved word segmentation using Gensim Jieba and filtering out stop words using multiple established Chinese stop word lists and domain-specific dictionaries. Lexical network analysis using Rostcm6 and Netdraw was used to visualize the interconnectedness of keywords and understand the overall discourse. Keyword analysis using Sketch Engine with the Chinese Web Corpus (zhTenTen) 2017 as a reference corpus was conducted, prioritizing multi-word terms to capture nuances of language use, particularly in expressing feminist concepts within the Chinese online context. Statistical tests were applied to identify significant keywords (p<0.01). Concordance analysis helped contextualize the identified keywords, enabling a deeper exploration of stereotypes and narratives.

The lexical network analysis revealed a central theme around “Apple” and “mobile phone,” with diverse terms used to describe women, ranging from neutral to highly derogatory (e.g., “lady,” “sister,” “bargirl,” “prostitute”). Negative adjectives like “garbage,” “ignorance,” and “vanity” were frequently associated with female iPhone users, alongside occupational references that stereotyped them as sex workers. The network also revealed a counter-narrative of nationalism, with domestic brands like Huawei and Xiaomi presented as patriotic alternatives. Keyword analysis focusing on female portrayals identified key terms like “female traitors,” “KTV prostitutes,” “Apple’s female users,” and “factory girls.” These terms highlight the stereotyping of female iPhone users as economically disadvantaged and morally questionable, their choice of iPhone branded as a betrayal of national loyalty. The concordance analysis further illuminated these themes. The term “小姐 (Xiao jie),” historically respectful, is now often used derogatorily to signify prostitutes, linking female iPhone users to the sex work industry. The term “舔狗 (simp)”—referring to men excessively accommodating women—further reinforced this narrative, suggesting female iPhone users exploit men. “Factory girls” highlighted an assumed economic class, implying low-skill labor. “Traitor” connected consumer choices to national allegiance, framing iPhone use as disloyalty. The study shows a convergence with research on media representations of sexual harassment victims, revealing similar biases based on perceived sexuality and socioeconomic status. The analysis also revealed that the labeling of female iPhone users as sex workers is a strategy for upholding patriarchal dominance and nationalistic purity. The discourse strategically utilizes sexism and nationalism to marginalize and control women's behavior. The study finds that the portrayal of female iPhone users as “factory girls” masks anxieties related to class conflict and challenged masculinity. The perceived economic independence of women who purchase expensive iPhones threatens traditional gender roles and male economic dominance, leading to derogatory terms like “simp” to disparage men attracted to such women. The analysis shows a unique form of digital misogyny intertwined with Chinese nationalism, where domestic brands are elevated while iPhones are associated with “inferior femininity.” This effectively transforms technology preference into a symbol of national and masculine superiority, masking underlying anxieties about economic and gender power shifts. The use of the term “traitor” legitimizes misogyny by framing the criticism of female iPhone users as an act of patriotic defense, masking underlying misogynistic prejudices. This tactic is reinforced by contrasting “loyal” consumers of domestic brands with “disloyal” users of Western brands like Apple.

This study’s findings directly address the research question by demonstrating how the discourse surrounding the Apple-Xiang Ligang controversy reveals a complex interplay of gender, technology, and nationalism in China’s digital space. The analysis illustrates how seemingly innocuous technological choices become intertwined with deeply rooted cultural norms, economic anxieties, and national identity. The results highlight the significant role of digital platforms in amplifying and shaping these narratives, showcasing the need for critical engagement with algorithmic bias and platform governance. The study contributes to the growing body of research on digital misogyny, expanding our understanding of its interplay with nationalism and its unique manifestation within the Chinese context. The findings challenge the simplistic notion of technological consumerism and its implications for national identity, suggesting a more nuanced understanding of the factors driving online discourse around technological consumption in China. The study contributes to feminist critical discourse studies by applying innovative methodologies to examine complex online narratives and their impact on gender power dynamics.

This study illuminates the intricate relationship between gender, technology, and nationalism within China’s digital ecosystem. The research reveals how these elements intersect to shape online discourse and societal perceptions. The study’s findings emphasize the role of digital platforms in both reflecting and reinforcing societal biases and nationalistic sentiments. Future research could explore the long-term impacts of this type of digital misogyny, examining the evolution of online narratives and their influence on real-world attitudes and behaviors. Further investigation into the effectiveness of platform governance strategies in mitigating such forms of online harassment is also warranted. A comparative study examining similar phenomena in other countries with strong nationalist sentiments could offer valuable insights.

The study’s reliance on data from a single platform, Douyin, limits the generalizability of its findings to other platforms. Although Douyin has a large and diverse user base, the findings may not fully represent the views of all Chinese netizens. The study's focus on comments, rather than the videos themselves, might overlook important visual or contextual cues in the broader online discourse. Finally, the study’s reliance on web scraping may not capture all comments due to potential limitations of the software used and changes in the platform’s interface.