The Impact of New Media Information Shock on Women’s

Self-Awareness Construction from the Perspective of “Her Economy”

Yipeng Jiang

School of Journalism and Communication, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

Keywords: Her Economy, Information Impact, Female’s Self Awareness, New Media.

Abstract: The rapid development of new media technologies and platforms is profoundly changing the role positioning

and market consumption preferences of female users in social media, which in turn affects the way women

obtain information and shape their ideas. This article argues that the dissemination of information on social

media can promote economic independence and the formation of a self-satisfied consumption concept,

providing channels for self-presentation and group identity. On the other hand, it also reveals the reality of

consumer alienation and materialism, the homogenization of aesthetics, and the emergence of female anxiety,

as well as the misleading effect of commodity feminism on women's true freedom. This article believes that

social media platforms should take on social responsibility and build a good online atmosphere. At the same

time, women themselves should pay attention to the improvement of their self-awareness.

1 INTRODUCTION

"Her economy" was born in the wave of globalization

and has shown enormous market potential with the

innovation and development of new media, becoming

an important force in today's social and economic

development. Currently, the rapid development of

new media technology has accelerated the speed of

information dissemination and lowered the threshold

for dissemination, creating new opportunities for

group and mass communication, and profoundly

changing the way people obtain information,

exchange ideas, and shape concepts. Social media,

which relies on emerging technologies for rapid

development, has gradually developed into a platform

for capital production and recreation in the market

economy, with major commodities flooding in and

occupying the social media side. With the increasing

economic independence and social status of women,

they have become the core force in the consumer

market, and their consumption preferences and

payment behavior have had a profound impact on the

world's economic structure and marketing strategies.

According to QuestMobile data, the number of

female mobile Internet users in China has reached

547 million by 2021 (News Peach Uptide, 2021). The

rise of the "Her economy" in the era of new media is

not only a direct reflection of the improvement of

women's economic status but also a manifestation of

social and cultural progress. Female consumers are no

longer satisfied with traditional social role

positioning and market consumption patterns, but

instead pursue more personalized and diversified

products and services, and are more inclined to

express themselves and realize their self-worth on

social media.

On the other hand, the massive and fragmented

new media information has also brought complex

impacts on the construction of women's self-

awareness. On the one hand, new media provides a

platform for women to showcase themselves and

express themselves freely, promoting the awakening

and expression of women's self-awareness. Women

can enhance their self-identity and group belonging

by sharing their daily lives, expressing personal

opinions, and participating in discussions on social

issues through social media. Women can also achieve

"self-indulgent consumption" on social media

platforms and have more choices. On the other hand,

new media can also become a tool for shaping gender

stereotypes and reinforcing gender roles, ignoring the

display of women's intrinsic values and abilities,

leading to distorted and limited self-awareness of

women. Women may lose themselves in impulse

consumption and showing off mentality, leading to an

imbalance between "instant gratification" and refund

of regret orders.

Jiang, Y.

The Impact of New Media Information Shock on Women’s Self-Awareness Construction from the Perspective of “Her Economy”.

DOI: 10.5220/0013985700004916

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2025), pages 50-55

ISBN: 978-989-758-778-8

Based on this, this study will use research

methods such as literature review and content

analysis to sort out the presentation characteristics of

new media information under the influence of the

"Her economy", and analyze how this information

affects women's self-awareness, values, and

behavioral choices. This study helps to supplement

interdisciplinary analytical frameworks, provide new

perspectives and ideas for women's self-awareness

construction in consumption, and reveal the specific

role of new media in shaping women's self-

awareness, providing useful references and guidance

for guiding the healthy development of women's self-

awareness and contributing to the construction of a

more equal and diverse socio-cultural environment.

2 THE CHARACTERISTICS OF

NEW MEDIA INFORMATION

PRESENTATION FROM THE

PERSPECTIVE OF "HER

ECONOMY"

The term 'Her economy' was proposed by economist

Shi Qingqi, referring to a new economic phenomenon

formed by the increasing purchasing power and

influence of women in the consumer market. Huang

Cong further pointed out in his research that with the

dual improvement of women's economic and social

status, women have gradually gained stronger

consumption power and played a crucial role in

promoting overall economic vitality, thus forming a

unique economic circle and phenomenon around

women's financial management and consumption

(Huang, 2022).

This article will approach from the perspective of

new media, analyzing in detail the characteristics of

new media information presented in the context of the

"Her economy". It is hoped that a more

comprehensive understanding of the interaction

between the "Her economy" and new media can be

achieved, and the development trends and potential

opportunities within it can be explored.

2.1 Characteristics of Information

Dissemination on New Media

Platforms

The rapid development of new media technology and

the rise of social platforms have empowered the

development of the "Her economy" and thus

influenced women's construction of self-awareness.

Based on product attributes and the proportion of

female users' consumption, the characteristics of "Her

economy" information dissemination on new media

platforms can be summarized as focusing on female

hot topics, more equal information perspectives,

diverse types, and precise marketing and information

promotion.

Firstly, as women become the main force in the

new media consumption market, various industries

have begun to adjust their market positioning in

response to women's dominant consumption position.

In the context of the "Her economy", the proportion

of female consumption in the market is increasing.

Therefore, many businesses have settled on new

media platforms, and their products and services are

more focused on female hot topics. They hope to

attract more female consumers to place orders by

utilizing the discussion heat and women's rights

among female users. In marketing strategies, brands

pay more attention to emotional resonance with

female consumer groups, emphasizing emotional,

personalized, and high-quality products, and focusing

on establishing diverse experiences with women. For

example, the Lululemon brand emphasizes the

concept of physical and mental balance, balancing

practicality and high quality in its products. It focuses

on establishing emotional connections with female

consumers through brand stories and community

culture and creating a marketing strategy centered

around middle-class women.

The common gender stereotypes in traditional

advertising are gradually being broken, and the image

of women on new media platforms is more diverse,

independent, and confident. Brands have begun to

widely adopt a more equal gender perspective to

present female images, and even some advertisements

use the technique of "gender reversal" to highlight the

improvement of women's economic and social status,

emphasizing women's self-realization and intrinsic

value, to attract female consumers to pay, thereby

promoting the development of the "Her economy"

and strengthening women's self-awareness.

Secondly, new media information contains a

diverse range of content, which can meet the different

consumption needs of women and indirectly reflect

the initial construction of women's self-awareness. In

addition, women often need to play the role of

household purchasing managers and have strong

decision-making power in many areas of household

consumption. Therefore, women's participation in

household consumption also has huge market

potential and has become one of the types of

information dissemination on new media platforms.

Finally, to effectively improve performance,

much information in new media platforms appears in

The Impact of New Media Information Shock on Women’s Self-Awareness Construction from the Perspective of “Her Economy”

the form of precision marketing and big data

promotion in the view of female users, and by

capturing more female users' psychology, classifying,

and advertising, ultimately improving the success

rate. For female consumers, the women's rights topics

and "friendly sales" behaviors that appear on the

homepage of new media may seem like "information

encounters" of "picking up treasures", but in fact, they

may be the result of big data calculation and

screening.

2.2 Female Discourse Space and

Interaction Patterns in Social

Media

Against the backdrop of the rise of the "Her

economy", the "low threshold" and strong

interactivity of social media have opened up a new

discourse and interactive space for female users.

Major social media platforms in China, such as

Weibo, TikTok, Xiaohongshu, and Kwai, have

become important channels for women to show

themselves and pursue personal development and

communication. Female media opinion leaders have

emerged as representatives of the female community

in this process, actively speaking out on new media

platforms. The female opinion leaders on these new

media platforms not only lead the consumption trend

but also become the objects of imitation and

following by many female users. Some female users

even believe in the information provided by female

opinion leaders. As a result, the rise of women's social

discourse power in social media has further shaped

women's personalities and promoted the development

of their economy.

On the one hand, female users are no longer

satisfied with their traditional marginalized status, but

actively voice their opinions on social media

platforms, emphasizing the voice of gender equality.

They establish connections with netizens, share

consumption experiences, and opinions, and express

their attitudes towards characteristic brands and

products by posting their daily life, beauty and dress,

emotional experiences, and other content. Driven by

the 'Her economy', the interaction patterns in social

media have become more diverse. On the other hand,

economic-driven discourse and deep economic

intervention have become important ways for women

to construct themselves. In the context of the rapid

development of the "Her economy", female users can

pursue their self-worth through consumption

intentions and behaviors, and are also willing to

establish and expand their interpersonal relationships

through forms such as "good product sharing" and

"post-use feedback". In addition, women also

participate in discussions on social hot topics through

social media, expressing their views and opinions,

further expanding the influence of women's discourse

space.

2.3 Product-Based Precision Marketing

In the wave of "her economy", new media platforms

have achieved product-based precision marketing

with their powerful data analysis capabilities and user

profiling technology, which not only improves

marketing efficiency but also further meets the

personalized and differentiated needs of female

consumers.

Firstly, new media platforms can accurately

showcase these products to female users in need

through targeted push notifications and other means.

Secondly, new media platforms can tailor

marketing content for female users based on their

interests and preferences. Personalized customized

content is not only closer to the actual needs of female

users but also more likely to resonate with them and

stimulate their desire to purchase.

New media platforms can also enhance product-

based precision marketing through social attributes.

Female users on new media platforms can not only

access product information, but also share shopping

experiences and evaluate product quality. This social

interaction not only enhances the fun and

participation of marketing but also enables marketing

information to quickly spread and spread among

female user groups. A certain internet-famous beauty

product is commonly promoted on Xiaohongshu

through KOL and user word-of-mouth on new media

platforms, which quickly became popular in the

market and became a popular item for female

consumers to purchase.

Finally, precision marketing based on products

also indirectly reflects the deep cooperation between

new media platforms and merchants. New media

platforms, with their vast user base and powerful data

analysis capabilities, have become important

channels for businesses to promote their products and

brand marketing; Merchants, on the other hand,

jointly promote product-based precision marketing to

achieve better results by providing high-quality

products and services to new media platforms, as well

as reasonable marketing budgets. This win-win

cooperation model not only enhances the commercial

value of new media platforms and promotes the

sustainable development of the "Her economy", but

also has a significant impact on the self-awareness of

women.

PRMC 2025 - International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication

3 THE IMPACT OF NEW MEDIA

INFORMATION SHOCK ON

WOMEN'S SELF-AWARENESS

CONSTRUCTION

3.1 Female User Profile on New Media

Platforms

At present, the female consumer group on new media

platforms in China presents multiple characteristics

of "emotional value consumption+self-development

consumption + acquaintance community

consumption + compensatory consumption".

Firstly, contemporary women focus on

consumption that satisfies emotional values and

pursue goods or services that can bring pleasure and

satisfaction. Rewarding and rewarding oneself has

become the primary motivation for women to

consume on new media platforms. With the

improvement of cultural self-confidence, more and

more women began to disenchantment with foreign

products, and the pursuit of domestic products set off

a "national trend". De-branding has become one of

the most important symbols of new media platform

consumption. Secondly, modern women pay more

attention to their growth and improvement, and their

consumption behavior gradually returns to their true

selves, pursuing diversified personal development

under multiple social identities. In this process, the

horizontal flow of information between the same

level of demand also drives the rapid development of

the 'Her economy'. Women are more susceptible to

the influence of consumption concepts from people of

the same level of demand and are more inclined to

listen to consumption advice from peers or peers in

the same circle. The trust mechanism formed by this

further promotes the prosperity of the "Her economy"

on new media platforms.

In addition, women also show a strong willingness

to consume in familiar communities. They are willing

to invest in activities such as group learning and

interest payment, and highly value the community

value in social media. With the revival of offline

physical stores, the consumer business of new media

platforms is also expanding towards physical stores,

and consumer power is gradually flowing back to

offline, forming a new media consumption pattern of

"online feedback offline". Women are beginning to

return to offline shopping venues, and "offline

experience + new media shopping" has become a new

way for women to seek more intuitive and enriched

consumer experiences.

3.2 Positive Impact of New Media

Information Shock on Women's

Self-Awareness Construction

3.2.1 Economic Independence and

Self-Enjoyment Consumption Concept

With the improvement of women's economic status,

more and more women have taken control of their

economic lifeline, and economic independence has

become one of the important goals pursued by

modern women. Economic independence not only

means that women can independently decide their

consumption behavior but also represents a

significant increase in their voice in the family and

society. The renowned American consumer

behaviorist Hawkins pointed out that consumers do

not choose products that deviate from their own

beliefs, but only choose products that are consistent

or reinforced with their own beliefs (Liang, 2016).

Under the stimulation of the "Her economy", the

concept of self-pleasing consumption has emerged,

and women have begun to pay more attention to

personal feelings and are willing to pay to improve

their quality of life and emotional value. McGuire

pointed out that almost all public media have the

potential to weaken the dominant social control

system, as these media can spread new ideas and

concepts that challenge the existing order (Dennis,

2006). Therefore, the shift in consumer attitudes

brought about by the "Her economy" empowered by

new media helps women reconstruct their micro roles

under multiple social identities and find their balance

in real life.

3.2.2 Channels for Self-Presentation and

Group Identity

The strong interactivity of social media has also made

female consumption no longer a personal behavior,

but an anonymous social currency. By purchasing and

displaying specific goods or services, women can

convey their values, aesthetic preferences, and

attitudes toward life. Their self-presentation process

is the way women seek group identity and construct

their social image.

In traditional media, women often remain in a

state of collective silence, but new media has broken

this situation with its interactivity and immediacy.

New media not only gives women the unprecedented

right to speak but also builds a platform for them to

express themselves independently, making women

the core subjects in the field of gender

communication in new media (Xia, 2017).

On the one hand, women can showcase their

consumption choices and lifestyle to a wider audience

The Impact of New Media Information Shock on Women’s Self-Awareness Construction from the Perspective of “Her Economy”

through social media, thereby attracting people with

similar interests and values, and building a social

network based on shared intentions and two-way

choices. During this process, women can shape their

image, express their unique charm, and strengthen

their connection and identification with the group. On

the other hand, new media also provides women with

a window to understand and reference others'

attitudes towards life, which to some extent affects

women's consumption decisions.

3.3 The Negative Impact of New Media

Information Shock on Women's

Self-Awareness Construction

3.3.1 Alienation of Consumption and

Materialism

In a capitalist society, people no longer only consume

the use value of goods but view them as symbols that

can highlight personal identity, help individuals

integrate into ideal groups, or refer to higher social

groups to seek improvement and change their social

status (Goodwin, et al., 2013). Based on this, Bai

Yiwen further proposed that people construct and

confirm their self-identity by consuming specific

goods and services. Consumption is not only an

economic activity, but also a symbolic behavior, with

the core purpose of establishing differentiation from

other social classes (Bai, 2021).

The rise of "her economy" has had a profound

impact on the new media environment. As an

important group of new media users, women's

consumption habits, aesthetic preferences, and values

have provided significant guidance for the creation

and dissemination of new media content.

At present, new media provides an excellent

platform for women to showcase their "things" and

themselves. Women try to highlight their female

identity and reach themselves through posting,

shopping, and sharing on new media platforms but

inevitably give "things" a heavyweight in their lives.

The mentality of conformity, comparison, and

showing off, as well as impulsive consumption and

regret behavior, are common occurrences. In the

context of consumer culture, some women may tend

to show off and forcefully pay for luxury goods that

do not meet their current salary level and purchasing

ability, claiming to be self-indulgent consumers, but

seeking abnormal self-satisfaction by obtaining the

envy of others. There are also women who follow the

trend and buy popular "hot-selling products", but

often regret it later. Although new media provides a

place for women to utilize objects and their symbolic

values, immature and irrational consumption views

not only fail to grow freely and straightforwardly

under the impact of new media information but also

easily breed unhealthy value orientations, affecting

women's correct understanding of themselves.

3.3.2 Aesthetic Homogenization and Female

Anxiety

Roland Barthes once pointed out that the fashion

system transcends clothing coding, and its true

purpose is to manipulate individuals' appearance

choices in daily life to achieve the sale of goods

(Douglas, 2005). Under the dominance of capital, the

consumer market tends to shape a universally

accepted aesthetic standard, which in turn guides

consumers' purchasing decisions. This phenomenon

is particularly evident in the field of female

consumption, where women seem to be oppressed by

"standard beauty" everywhere, from clothing and

cosmetics to body management and even lifestyle.

With the development of this trend, many women

are beginning to feel anxious about their appearance,

body shape, and lifestyle. They are concerned that

they may not be able to meet the "perfect" standards

set by society, thus being at a disadvantage in the

consumer market, family status, and even social

status. Women will compare their appearance with

the carefully dressed internet celebrities in short

videos, from makeup to clothing and shoe styles and

brands, as a basis for judging their attractiveness, and

constantly adjust, improve, and even reshape their

external image based on this. The widespread spread

of "appearance anxiety" originates from the "aesthetic

persuasion" delivered by new media platforms such

as TikTok, Xiaohongshu, and Weibo, which is

imperceptibly changing the value judgments of users

(Zhu, 2022). This anxiety not only hurts women's

mental health but may also lead to the loss of their

unique personality and self in the pursuit of

standardization, affecting the results of self-

awareness and evaluation.

3.3.3 Commodity Feminism Cannot Buy

True Freedom

Behind the homogenization of women's aesthetics is

the proliferation of commodity feminism, and behind

the collective frenzy of new media platforms are the

specific marketing strategies implemented by

advertisers who combine feminist concepts or

symbols with goods and services based on women's

consumption motivations. Although commodity

feminism supports women's rights through economic

empowerment, symbolic marketing and excessive

emphasis on female role attributes can only create an

illusion of equality and freedom for women, and

consumption cannot truly enhance women's social

status.

PRMC 2025 - International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication

Merchants can be seen everywhere on new media

platforms linking their products with symbolic

keywords, using "independence" and "freedom" to

evoke empathy and recognition from women; Some

merchants deliberately create "popular products" to

create an "ideal self" for women on social media,

making them consciously or unconsciously see

themselves as "objects of gaze" (Mu & Zeng, 2013).

Women have begun to adopt the perspective of others

to examine and perceive themselves, that is, to

construct their self-image from external observations

and evaluations. However, when they discover a gap

between their "real self" and their "ideal self" through

comparison, they will develop feelings of "self-

hatred". This self-hatred stems from the mismatch

between the pursuit of self-perfection and reality and

is a dilemma and challenge that women do not need

to face in the process of self-identity.

4 CONCLUSION

In the context of the "Her economy" era, new media

not only provides a platform for women to showcase

themselves and pursue diverse development but also

has a profound impact on women's self-awareness

construction. New media information has played a

positive role in promoting women's economic

independence, the formation of a self-pleasing

consumption concept, self-presentation, and group

identity, driving women's awakening and the

sustained prosperity of their economy; However,

women's self-awareness can also develop unhealthy

under consumer alienation, aesthetic convergence,

and extreme commodity feminism, which hinders and

prolongs women's path towards true and complete

independence.

The rise of "her economy" essentially reflects the

improvement of women's economic and social status,

as well as the transformation of consumption

concepts. In this process, women achieve self-

expression and identity through consumption, but

excessive reliance on consumption to construct self-

awareness may lead to distorted values and self-loss.

Therefore, women need to rationally view the

relationship between various marketing and

interpersonal interactions on new media platforms

and their self-awareness. They should be encouraged

to bravely pursue themselves and express their

personalities, as well as guided to establish correct

consumption concepts and avoid falling into the trap

of consumerism. At the same time, as an important

channel for information dissemination, new media

platforms should assume social responsibility,

promote more diverse, independent, and confident

female images, break gender stereotypes, provide a

healthier and more positive self-construction

environment for women, and help them maintain

clear and independent self-awareness when facing

aesthetic homogenization and consumption pressure.

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Douglas, K. ed. 2005. Podoia: A Critical Reader. Jiangsu

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Goodwin, N. R., Ackerman, F., & Kiron, D. (Eds.). 2013.

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Huang, C. 2022. The Construction of Women's Self-

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The Impact of New Media Information Shock on Women’s Self-Awareness Construction from the Perspective of “Her Economy”