Scripts and screens: A cross-cultural analysis of gendered dating advice in short-form video content on Instagram and Red
Date
2026
Authors
Huang, Jindi
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Abstract
This thesis examines how short-form dating advice videos shape contemporary understandings of dating, relationships, and romantic behaviour on social media. Focusing on Instagram Reels and the Chinese platform Xiaohongshu (Red), the study explores how dating content creators construct and circulate knowledge about heterosexual relationships in digital environments. Using a qualitative comparative approach, the research analyzes twenty short videos by four creators across Instagram and Red. The analysis combines thematic analysis and critical discourse analysis, while drawing on Foucault’s concepts of power, knowledge, and discourse, Simon and Gagnon’s sexual script theory, and feminist perspectives.
The findings identify three key themes: gender roles and dating scripts, strategy-based advice and discourse patterns, and cross-cultural comparisons. While many short videos frame the dating advice as empowering, traditional heterosexual scripts continue to shape expectations around women’s emotional labour and relational behaviour.
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short-form video, dating advice, gender roles, cross-cultural comparison, digital culture