2026/07/09 by Juerong Qiu, Anthony Pym · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Subtitles and Audiovisual Media #Asian Culture and Media Studies #Multimedia Communication and Technology
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/14781700.2026.2669512
openalex publication_date 2026/07/09 · openalex created_date 2026/07/11 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/11
Current video-streaming platforms encourage audiences to engage in the meaning-making and circulation of audiovisual content through liking, sharing, and commenting. These forms of participation can function as interactions between viewers, moving away from the centralized control of content creators and toward viewer empowerment. The shift becomes pronounced when a translated audiovisual product is received and commented on in multiple languages. This study examines a Chinese drama and its subtitled versions on four platforms. Various forms of online participation, including danmaku comments, timed comments, forum comments, reviews, and social media posts, are analysed to explore the power negotiations between different audience groups, the streaming platforms, and state control. It is found that Chinese viewers’ participation can influence the production of the original product, whereas non-Chinese viewers can affect translations and offer novel interpretations. However, these modes of viewer empowerment remain subject to the influence of online distributors and state censorship.