Narrative Standardization and Experiential Specificity in Xiaohongshu Lifestyle Posts:A Cross-Period Content Analysis in the Context of Generative AI

Abstract

         This study examines narrative differences in Xiaohongshu lifestyle posts across two publication periods in the context of expanding generative artificial intelligence (AI). Its objectives are to compare formal and narrative characteristics, interpret patterns of standardization through an alienation-informed perspective, and identify implications for creators and platform governance. The reported corpus comprises 800 posts: 400 published in 2023 and 400 in 2025–2026, covering urban life, daily goods, life experience, and emotional sharing. Comparative content analysis organizes the material into five domains: external form, narrative structure, linguistic style, emotional expression, and experiential specificity. The reported qualitative patterns contrast flexible, situated accounts in the earlier group with more formulaic organization, generalized wording, conventional positivity, and fewer individualized details in the later group. These patterns are interpreted as textual standardization and reduced experiential specificity. Publication period does not establish AI authorship, and textual form does not establish factual falsity, creators’ psychological alienation, or platform-wide displacement. Technological convenience, visibility incentives, and commercial pressures are discussed as possible contextual explanations rather than demonstrated mechanisms. The study contributes a bounded analytical framework linking observable narrative features to questions about mediated self-expression. It recommends preserving experiential detail, verifying substantive claims, and evaluating diversity without equating polished writing with AI generation. Incomplete sampling and coding documentation limits reproducibility and the strength of empirical inference.