The mechanisms of interaction between the aesthetics of Chinese ethnic minority cultures and mass aesthetic consciousness in the digital age

The aim of the study is to identify the mechanisms of interaction between the aesthetics of the culture of ethnic minorities in China and mass aesthetic consciousness in the context of the digital transformation of cultural space. This article examines the dynamics of cultural transmission on the digital platforms Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Bilibili, where traditional cultural forms are undergoing radical adaptation through aestheticization, fragmentation, hybridization, and gamification. The role of various actors in the process of cultural production is analyzed, including bearers of ethnic traditions, cultural intermediaries, prosumers, and the platforms’ algorithmic systems as active agents of cultural evolution. The scientific novelty is determined by the conceptual rethinking of the basic categories of cultural analysis in the context of digital reality, where authenticity is transformed from the concept of an unchanging essence into the ability of a cultural core to persist in changing forms, the cultural boundary is transformed from a dividing line into a zone of intense exchange, and subjectivity is distributed between human and non-human agents. The study revealed that the mechanism of interaction functions as a multi-level system of mutual transformation, where China’s digital infrastructure has created unprecedented conditions for the dissemination of ethnic aesthetics, reaching over a billion users, and the commercialization of ethnic identity has transformed from a threat to cultural integrity into a condition for the economic survival of ethnic communities and a mechanism for the transmission of traditional practices to future generations.