Algorithmic Construction of Rural Conceptual Boundaries: A Comparison of Trending Rural Videos on Douyin and Kuaishou

Platform content distribution algorithms can also have a selective impact on the creation of the rural imagery, thus shaping certain conceptual frames of "the rural." Such platforms as Douyin and Kuaishou, with their algorithmic recommendation and traffic-prioritization systems, have become a major cultural and economic phenomenon. This paper explores the algorithmic construction of divergent conceptual frames of the rural by Douyin and Kuaishou. It presents two different institutional-technical logics through a comparative analysis of popular videos. Douyin arranges a top-down gazed-upon countryside: official campaigns predetermine aesthetic frames, algorithms enhance refined visual production, and commercial monetization finishes the loop, with consumption being the priority. On the other hand, Kuaishou enables a bottom-up co-constructed rural field, in which visibility is based on community-initiated triggers, authenticity performances (dialect, immediacy), and interaction and relational trust distribution system. These processes generate a systematic opposition of visibility criteria, which shapes the imagination of the masses and imposes strategic paradoxes on creators. The study combines the theory of visibility and an algorithmic culture approach to explain platforms as active agents in the cultural (re)production of rurality.