Haiwei Valerie Huang
Media Researcher and Creator
Haiwei Valerie Huang (M.A., University of Southern California & M.Sc., London School of Economics and Political Science) is a researcher of feminist media, online activism, and digital cultures. Her work examines how social media shapes gendered and social (in)justices, with particular attention to how online narratives, representations, and practices of affective expression, intimacy, and subjectivity are constructed and negotiated across transnational digital publics.
Research topics: gender & sexuality, activism & social justice, digital culture, social media, global media
Note: Underlining indicates first author; asterisk (*) indicates corresponding author.
Publication
2025
Huang, H. V.(*). (2025). Chinese Digital Feminism Growing in a New Digital Soil: A Mixed-Method Study of the Transnational Construction of Gendered Collective Memory of Chinese Women on Instagram. Social Media + Society, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051251339487
Abstract
As the space for discussing feminism and related issues on domestic social media platforms in China narrows, Chinese women and feminists are increasingly seeking new platforms that provide a more supportive digital environment for advancing gender justice. This article explores the growing transnational engagement of Chinese digital feminism, with a focus on its presence on the foreign-based social media platform, Instagram. Based on interviews with 12 Chinese female Instagram users and an analysis of 184 of their women-focused posts, this study employs thematic and content analysis to explore the intricate, multi-layered transnational connectivity and social representations that contribute to a distributed form of gendered collective memory. The article argues that the digital engagement of Chinese women on Instagram plays a critical role in offsetting the limitations found in domestic social media platforms. This is vital for preserving certain vanished recollections, disseminating feminist narratives, and building gendered collective memory that challenges and reframes the often-distorted and stereotypical perceptions of Chinese women in public consciousness within China’s domestic media landscape. Despite the constrained impact and visibility of their gendered collective memory on Instagram, largely due to the specific class and group these women socially represent, their transnational efforts in shaping a more equitable collective memory remain noteworthy.
Conference Presentations
2025
Huang, H. V.(*) (presenter), & Luo, L. Rebuilding Environmental Justice Through Transnational Community Empowerment: A Social Media Content Analysis of Greater Los Angeles Wildfires on Xiaohongshu (RedNote). International Communication Section, 2025 Annual Conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Singapore, July 13–17.
Xie, L.(*), Huang, H. V., Phillips, K., Jeon, E., Zhai, V., Arnold, L., Johnston, J., Shamasunder, B., & Stevens, R. Hot Topics in Extreme Heat: A Content Analysis of Heat-Related Messages in California. Environment, Science and Risk Communication Section 2025 Annual Conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Singapore, July 13–17.
Huang, H. V.(*) (presenter), & Luo, L. Constructing an Authoritarian Emotional Regime: Analyzing Online Public Sentiment of China’s Marriage and Fertility Policies. Feminist Scholarship Division, 75th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Denver, June 12–16.
2024
Huang, H. V.(*)(presenter). Transnationality of Chinese Digital Feminism on Globally Accessible Social Media: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of the Emergent Social Construction of Gendered Collective Memory on Instagram (Top Paper Award). Feminist and Gender Studies Division, 110th Annual Convention of the National Communication Association (NCA), New Orleans, November 21–24.
Awards and Honors
2024
Top Paper Award, Feminist and Gender Studies Division, National Communication Association (NCA).
Excellent Prize (£100 awarded for top academic performance), Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science.
CV
Teaching
2023
Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California
POSC 356: Politics in the PRC (Instructor: Dr. Stanley Rosen)
Grader
Beyond Research
Outside of academic work, I love spending time with my dog, Eryue (“February”), who is, in many ways, my unlicensed therapist. Caring for him grounds me; the quiet routines of feeding, walking, and simply being together remind me that love can be gentle and wordless.I also practice climbing (bouldering, top-rope, and lead), play tennis, and go hiking. I am drawn to forms of movement that feel meditative. On the court, I remind myself to stay patient, to wait for the right moment - to respond with intention rather than urgency. On the trail, I find companionship in landscapes; nature feels like an old friend, steady and quietly present. Climbing, too, teaches me slowness, trust, and the courage to move even when the next hold is not obvious. And, in life as in climbing, I am always looking for two things: thoughtful collaborators, and a reliable belayer. :)In everyday life, I try to support communities I feel connected to, even across distance. I donate regularly to animal rescue organizations and programs that support girls’ access to education. These are small gestures, but they remind me that care can travel distances.I host a small podcast called TinGwongHeoi, where I try to translate academic thinking into everyday language. It is a space for slow conversation, where my research becomes something lived and felt.I also love films, Cantonese music, and slow reading.
