Minglei "Hart" Zhang (University of Maine)
On Weibo, the largest social media platform in China, comfort food creators promote curated productions and foster craftsmanship in the creation and sharing of comfort foodways that results in “collective joy.” By encouraging this affective quality of appreciation the site animates the aesthetic expertise among viewers who regard platform-based social media as recognized pedagogical sites for productive engagement. This approach highlights structural and ecological attributes enabled by digital media in studying the quality of networking experience.
Part of 04-09 Creating Connections, Community, and Comfort in Virtual Food Communities, Friday, October 14, 8:30 am–10:00 am