UGC and Participatory Culture: The Impact of Internet Content Creation on the Expression and Dissemination of Individual Ideas

This article aims to systematically examine and explore the profound impact of the development of internet technology media on user-generated content (UGC) and its dissemination patterns. Drawing on theories of media environments and participatory culture, this article employs a literature review approach to integrate recent research on a variety of media platforms, including blogs, chat medias, online novels, long and short videos, and games and its live-stream. Understanding the characteristics of different media environments holds important implications for not only both the contents creators and platforms, also the researchers. This research finds that the media of internet fundamentally democratizes content creation, while the diverse characteristics of different technology that used on media have shaped diverse creative paradigms. The conclusion of this research consider that the core driving force behind the internet's content creation is its significant lowering of the barrier to create and disseminate user-generated content, encouraging user contribution, interaction, and co-creation, thereby generating content and social connections. Finally, the article identifies limitations of this research, such as insufficient critical analysis of algorithmic power, and offers directions for future research.