Speaker
Description
Driven by information technology, digital platforms are increasingly integrated into urban life through navigation services, social connections, and consumer services, leading to profound transformations in urban and social spaces. These changes are also closely linked to the gentrification process.
Taking Weibo, one of China’s most popular social media platforms, this study aims to explore the relationship between digital platforms and physical spaces, and their connection to gentrification. Using Nanjing’s main urban area as a case study, this research analyzes transaction data from second-hand housing platforms (Beike) and Weibo check-in data from 2019 to 2024. The study first measures the stages of gentrification in different communities, then employs spatial autocorrelation, cluster analysis, and regression analysis to examine the relationship between Weibo check-in activities and gentrification. The study further illustrates the role of digital platforms in the gentrification process in the information era and proposes strategies for addressing its challenges.
The results show a significant correlation between gentrification levels and the intensity of social media check-in activities. Communities near commercial centers, business hubs, tourist attractions, and university districts exhibit “high-high” clusters of gentrification, characterized by both high gentrification levels and active check-in behavior. In contrast, peripheral urban areas display “low-low” clusters, reflecting low levels of both gentrification and digital activity. Regression analysis further demonstrates that, in addition to traditional factors influencing gentrification, community gentrification stages are strongly associated with check-in activity intensity within residential, commercial, and public service areas. Notably, the activities of non-local users, KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders), and KOCs (Key Opinion Consumers) have a greater impact on gentrification than those of local users or other groups. The findings suggest that informational capital transcends spatial and temporal boundaries, commodifying potential urban spaces. Through algorithmic mechanisms, platforms guide users to link textual and visual content to specific physical locations. Through ‘discursive investing’, this process attracts individuals or investors with similar tastes to certain communities, accelerating gentrification in these areas.
This study provides a new perspective on gentrification research in the Global South in the digital age, offering sight into how activities in digital platforms reshape the communities and highlight their role as potential amplifiers of inequality. It emphasizes the need for urban governance policies to consider the impact of digital platform activities on community changes, especially regarding population structure and the potential for gentrification. Furthermore, effective measures should be implemented to regulate digital platform algorithms and content to prevent widening inequality among communities and to promote spatial justice in the digital age.
| Keywords | gentrification; digital platforms; social media; Spatial Justice |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
