Algorithm-Driven Visual Storytelling: Emotional Guidance and Consumer Behavior

This paper examines the influence of algorithm-driven visual storytelling on Chinese women's reproductive and maternal discourses, highlighting how social commerce platforms employ emotional guidance to shape cognition and construct consumer demand. By integrating theoretical frameworks from visual storytelling, emotional economy, and demand construction, and analyzing empirical examples such as short videos and live-streamed content, the study demonstrates how algorithms activate affective responses, reinforce cognitive frameworks, and generate consumption patterns. The findings reveal that algorithmic narratives not only facilitate targeted product engagement but also subtly reshape social norms, personal identity, and self-value perceptions. The discussion underscores the significance of algorithmic mediation in contemporary digital media, emphasizing both its commercial potential and broader societal implications while identifying avenues for future research on cross-cultural comparisons, ethical design, and user well-being.