What is the WeChat persona of Professional Women?

Building on the literature of “doing gender” and the symbolic interactionist perspective, we argue that the WeChat persona of professional women is a gender performance that is perceived, negotiated, and practiced through a series of dynamic social interactions.

Do women feel pressured to adopt a 'professional woman' on WeChat?

Based on in-depth interviews, we found that many women feel pressured to adopt an online persona for gender performances on WeChat, and many sought advices on how to appear as a professional woman. This reference to “professional woman” highlighted the gender issues related to workplace social media.

Is WeChat taking over workplaces in China?

According to WeChat’s User Report, over 80% of users are using the app for work-related purposes (WeChat, 2017). In short, WeChat is “taking over workplaces in China” (Wang, 2016). The prevalence of WeChat makes the workplace digital persona (renshe) a widely discussed topic in China.

Why is persona used as an analytical term in WeChat?

Persona is used as an analytical term to capture the WeChat activities of these professional women because, compared to online self-presentation, the persona represented a strategic conformity to existing norms and the women distanced themselves from their assumed personas.

Are gender norms still prevalent on WeChat?

Data from our research confirm the persistence of traditional gender norms on WeChat, and we also found that this trend of increasing emotional labor is especially true for female subordinates. Persona Cs also face challenges, the biggest being online sexual harassment.

How does a male interviewee describe a female colleague on WeChat?

A male interviewee (S40, 30s, single, designer) described the different performance of his female colleague in two chat groups on WeChat: a professional persona in a chat group full of low-level employees and a feminine persona in another chat group with company leaders.