Scroll, Like, Remember: The Role of Micro-Content in Reimagining Folk Traditions for Gen Z Audiences

In the age of algorithmic media, short-form video platforms such as Douyin, Bilibili, and Kuaishou have emerged as influential spaces for reimagining folk traditions in contemporary China. This study examines how micro-content-brief, highly stylized digital videos-serves as a dynamic medium through which Generation Z engages with intangible cultural heritage. Drawing on theories of cultural memory, media aesthetics, and participatory culture, we analyze a sample of 100 short videos across major Chinese platforms to explore the visual, narrative, and affective strategies used to mediate folk practices. Our findings reveal three dominant dynamics: first, the hybridization of traditional content with popular digital aesthetics; second, the compression of cultural memory into symbolic fragments optimized for attention economies; and third, the emergence of emotionally resonant viewer interactions that reframe heritage as a shared, affective experience rather than a linear historical narrative. Rather than dismissing these forms as superficial, we argue that micro-content platforms facilitate new modes of mnemonic participation, enabling youth to access and reinterpret tradition in ways that align with their media fluency and cultural imaginaries. This article contributes to broader debates on digital heritage, memory, and the mediation of culture in platformized environments, offering a critical perspective on how tradition survives and evolves in the scrollable present.