The Ghostly Ethics of Mediatized Shaping: Cultural Memory and Creative Transformation of Anhui's ICH in Reviving the Craftsmanship

Abstract

This study examines the creative transformation of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in the digital age, focusing on the case of the Chinese TV program Reviving the Craftsmanship. By analyzing the show's practices through the dual lens of mediatized memory construction and techno-ethical negotiation, the research identifies three key mechanisms: super-visual encoding, cross-platform narratives, and ethical negotiations. Super-visual encoding transforms the embodied practices of ICH into spectacular visual symbols, enhancing the appeal of cultural memory while simultaneously leading to the "effacement of the body" of ICH's ontology. Cross-platform narratives leverage algorithmic logic to promote the fragmented dissemination of ICH, increasing public engagement but also commodifying it, resulting in fragmented memory and the demise of users' critical subjectivity. Ethical negotiations attempt to strike a balance between technological innovation and cultural preservation, utilizing concepts like the "ghostly contract" and the "mediatized ethical assessment matrix" to constrain the potential misuse of technology. This study constructs a critical theoretical framework of mediatized shaping, which reframes "creative transformation" as a tension-filled process and reveals the power relations and ethical dilemmas embedded within. Moving beyond the simplistic "protection/development" dichotomy, the research highlights the complexities of safeguarding and transmitting ICH in the digital era, and calls for a responsible and sustainable model of mediatized heritage transmission.