Constructing Dynamic Discourse Coalitions:Discourse And Identity Construction Of Emotional Anchors In Live Broadcast Platforms

In today’s highly socialized world,the development of platforms has provided a space for many unnamed anchors to ’imagine fame’ and build an exclusive communication field with each anchor and fan,greatly satisfying the isolation and emotional needs of audiences in the digital age.However,at the same time,the trade unions represented by the managers of the main MCN agencies,the live streaming platforms and the mainstream discourse represented by the mainstream media and relevant policies have also started to join in,and through different discourse expressions and practices,they are jointly active in the same live streaming arena,interacting and playing for the purpose of winning their own interests and shaping their own positive images.Based on this,this paper has sorted out two discourse alliances and two story lines based on the discourse interactions and expressions between different subjects,and the two alliances express and practice their discourse through different storylines,thus constructing different images and identities.This paper adopts a Dynamic Discourse Coalition research method to conduct a three-month participant observation of 15 emotional anchors from two platforms,and conducts 60-180 minutes of semi-structured interviews to conduct an in-depth discourse analysis.Based on the observations and interviews,two main research questions are raised:firstly,how the dynamic discourse alliance between anchors,unions,platforms and mainstream discourse is formed and developed;secondly,how different discourse expressions and practices in the formation of this dynamic discourse alliance construct the identities of anchors respectively.The study finds that there is an alliance of "interests",mainly aong anchors,unions and live broadcast platforms,and an alliance of "governance",represented by mainstream discourse,live broadcast platforms and unions,in which the two alliances are characterized by "disorder-confrontation-regulation".The two alliances form a number of small,loose and dynamic discursive alliances under the macro-story line characterized by"confrontation-regulation" and the micro-story line characterized by"amateur-professional-invisibility".Firstly,under the micro-story line of"amateur-professional-incognito",the self-expression and identity construction of the anchor revolves around the "survival and life" and "for fame" storylines.The storyline unfolds through the entry stage,when self-identity and large amounts of income are gained,the cold stage,when traffic and income diminish,and the exit stage,when the broadcast is abandoned.In the entry stage,anchors generally engage in positive identity construction,while in the cold stage and transition stage,anchors engage in negative identity construction.Secondly,under the macro-story line characterised by"disorder-confrontation-regulation",the mainstream discourse is structured around the storyline of "managing online behaviour and improving social morale",which conflicts with the interests of the alliance in pursuit of live streaming traffic and profit.This creates a conflict with the interests of the coalition,who are simply seeking traffic and profit from the broadcast.This has led to a progressively more complex construction of the identity of the anchor,which is manifested as follows:in the discourse of the interest alliance,the anchor is a "worker" who can ignore public order and morality and is subject to exploitation for his own benefit;in the discourse of the governance alliance,the anchor is a"micro-celebrity" who needs to create a positive public opinion and serves as a role model.In the discourse of the governance coalition,the anchor needs to be a "micro-celebrity"who leads positive public opinion and serves as a role model.The current research on the behaviour and discourse of anchors is mainly focused on the field of digital labour,and is more concerned with the "exploitation" of anchors by the platform in their daily live broadcast behaviour.Therefore,this paper hopes to further explore the self-identity and identity construction of anchors through the fact that they are exploited.In practical terms,the study of identity construction can better help anchors to perceive their identities,thus regulating their live broadcasting behaviour and creating a good atmosphere.