The recently popular “I Wanna Go to China” BGM challenge on Douyin provides an example of how the culture industry can operate on social media. Although creators share different opinions, personal experiences and scenes, they use the same music trend to express themselves. This raises a question: are these videos truly individual expressions, or are they shaped by a shared cultural format?
Adorno and Horkheimer’s concept of the culture industry helps explain this pattern. They argue that cultural products are increasingly standardised, making them predictable and easy to consume (Adorno and Horkheimer, [1944] 1986). In this challenge, the same BGM becomes a recognisable template that creators can repeatedly use. Even when the message changes, the basic format remains similar.
This reflects the idea of pseudo-individuality. Each creator may have a genuine story or a different point of view, but these differences are expressed through the same popular format. Individuality appears in the content, while the form of expression remains largely standardised. Adorno’s discussion of popular music also highlights how standardisation can shape cultural production and consumption (Adorno, [1938] 1978a). From this perspective, the trend shows how personal expression can take place within the limits of a repeatable cultural pattern.
However, this does not mean that creators have nothing original to say. Benjamin argues that mechanical reproduction can make culture accessible to wider audiences (Benjamin, [1936b] 1973b). Similarly, a shared BGM can help ordinary users communicate their experiences and opinions. The important point is not that every video says the same thing, but that different messages are delivered through a similar cultural template.
Ultimately, the challenge reveals a tension between individuality and standardisation. People may genuinely express their own experiences, yet they do so through a format shared by many others. The culture industry therefore offers a useful way to question how social media trends can enable self-expression while making its forms increasingly similar.
References
Adorno, T. ([1938] 1978a) ‘On the fetish character in music and the regression of listening’, in Arato, A. and Gebhardt, E. (eds) The Essential Frankfurt School Reader. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 270–299.
Adorno, T. and Horkheimer, M. ([1944] 1986) Dialectic of Enlightenment. London: Verso.
Benjamin, W. ([1936b] 1973b) ‘The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction’, in Arendt, H. (ed.) Illuminations. London: Fontana, pp. 219–254.
