National representations in digital heritage exposure: exploring young people’s in­-group/out­-group categorisation on cultural artefact visuals and related evaluations

Yicheng Jiang, Xia Zheng (), Xiaojiang Chen, Yun Xiao and Mengting Shen
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Yicheng Jiang: Zhejiang University
Xia Zheng: Zhejiang University
Xiaojiang Chen: Northwest University
Yun Xiao: Northwest University
Mengting Shen: Zhejiang University

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 2025, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Digital pictures of cultural artefacts are increasingly accessible and reused in everyday life. Does this visual exposure underlie the impression of “what our artefacts look like”, and does it have implications for the formation of national identity? Through two mixed-method studies, we demonstrated that even without external interpretation, young Chinese lay participants (mainly university students) could spontaneously categorise digital artefact visuals into in-group/out-group. The self-reported “stereotypes” consisted of both objective and perceptual descriptions. Self-defined typical in-group/out-group artefacts initiated differential evaluations, and those where different cultural features were equally hidden or evident tended to be recognised as in-group. Some of these responses were statistically associated with one’s degree of cultural identity, ethnic essentialism, and popular cultural exposure. The in-group/out-group categorisation and evaluations did not manifest in radical forms, such as hostility towards out-group artefacts or people. The results indicate that artefact digital visuals, as one of the most basic and “neutral” forms of heritage digitisation, may be read by viewers in banal ways for contemporary national identity construction. In turn, this questions what the accessibility of digital heritage visuals does in a wider social and cultural context.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-06030-0

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