Digital Language Practices within Chinese Immigrant Communities

In the context of information globalization, Douyin and Xiaohongshu have become the core platforms for Chinese immigrants’ digital language practices. This study addresses a significant interdisciplinary gap by examining how immigrants use multilingual and multimodal resources on these platforms to maintain transnational ties, how algorithms convert these practices into capital, and how immigrants negotiate identity under algorithmic and geopolitical pressures. Findings reveal a pattern of “Mandarin dominance, multimodal integration, and functional stratification,” a three-stage algorithmic conversion mechanism, and the use of convergence, divergence, and over-accommodation strategies. This research contributes to academic discourse on digital migration and offers practical implications for supporting immigrant communities.