1. Digital Inequality in Digital Participation

The first line of my research examines how digital inequality emerges through social and psychological mechanisms that shape participation in digital technologies. While early studies of the digital divide focused on disparities in access, my work highlights how inequality also arises through everyday interactions and users’ emotional responses to technology.

One strand of this research analyzes how online interactions translate technological differences into social hierarchies of legitimacy. For instance, in gaming communities, players reporting technical problems may be dismissed as having “potato PCs,” turning hardware differences into judgments about competence and credibility.

Another strand investigates psychological barriers to technological participation. In the context of generative AI, my research conceptualizes technophobia as a form of psychological digital divide, showing how fear of technology reduces trust in AI systems and limits inclusive adoption.

Representative projects include:

Bridging Psychological Barriers to Generative AI Adoption （In preparation）

Hardware Shaming and Legitimacy Inequality in Online Gaming Discussions (In preparation)

2. Psychological and Social Experiences in Interactive Media

The second line of my research examines how interactive media shape emotional experience, social attitudes, and interpersonal understanding. Unlike traditional media, interactive environments allow users to actively engage with narratives, characters, and decision-making processes, creating unique opportunities for media experiences to influence how people perceive social issues and relate to others.

My research investigates how digital games can both reinforce and challenge social perceptions. For example, horror games may amplify stigma toward mental illness through frightening representations, whereas serious games can foster empathy and improve public understanding of psychological conditions such as depression. I also explore how players develop parasocial relationships with game characters and how these relationships shape emotional engagement in digital environments.

Representative projects include:

• Playing with Fear: Horror Games’ Impact on Mental Health Stigma and Empathy（In preparation）
• Leveraging digital health technology to transform depression literacy in China (Published in Asian Journal of Communication, Top Student Paper in NCA 2025)
• Parasocial Relationship in the Social ConParasocial Relationship in the Social Context (Published in Game Studies)

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3. Platform Dynamics and Participation in Digital Media

The third line of my research examines how platform structures and industry dynamics shape user participation and experience in digital media environments. Digital platforms are not neutral spaces; their economic models, governance decisions, and technological architectures influence how users interact, create value, and sustain communities.

My research explores these dynamics through the context of digital games. For example, studies of free-to-play games examine how player interaction can become a form of digital labor within platform economies. Other work investigates how major platform decisions—such as the shutdown of an online game—reshape player motivation, community practices, and the meaning of participation in digital worlds. I also examine the historical development of gaming industries to understand how broader socio-economic forces shape digital media ecosystems.

Representative projects include:

• Digital Labor in Free-to-Play Games（Published in Critical Studies In Media Communication, Top Overall Paper in NCA 2022）
• A Cultural History of Arcade and Console Games in 1990s China (Published in Media International Australia, Top Student Paper in AEJMC 2023)
• Waiting for the End of a Game World (In Preparation)

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