当银发族闯入微短剧“新大陆”：从“围观”到“下单”的消费行为探索

When the Silver-Haired Generation Ventures into the “New Frontier” of Micro-Dramas: Exploring Consumption Behavior from “Spectating” to “Purchasing”

摘要: 本文基于数字鸿沟与补偿性消费理论框架，系统考察当代中国银发族在微短剧消费场域中从“围观”到“下单”的行为演化机制。研究发现，尽管老年群体在数字技术使用与认知层面仍处于结构性弱势，但微短剧以其低操作门槛、高情感密度与强叙事节奏，有效弥合了其媒介接入障碍，成为实现数字融入的“便捷入口”。此外，通过对观看动机与付费逻辑的深入分析，揭示老年用户通过代入高度类型化剧情，能够对现实中因社会角色边缘化、身体机能衰退及情感支持匮乏所引发的“自我–理想”差异进行符号性补偿；同时，在平台算法精准推送与多巴胺驱动的即时满足机制作用下，形成沉浸式依赖，并在情绪唤醒高峰处被诱导完成非理性、高频次的小额支付。研究进一步指出，部分平台利用老年用户技术素养不足，通过隐蔽的自动续费、模糊的价格标识等设计，构建不对等的消费关系，存在“算法剥削”风险。据此，本文呼吁强化政策监管、推动平台适老化伦理设计，并完善社会支持体系，以促进银发经济在数字时代的包容性与可持续发展。

Abstract: Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of the digital divide and compensatory consumption, this study systematically examines the behavioral evolution of China’s silver-haired population (aged 60 and above) from passive viewing to monetized engagement in the consumption field of micro-dramas. Findings reveal that, despite structural vulnerabilities in digital literacy and cognitive adaptation, elderly users have overcome traditional access barriers through micro-dramas, which serve as a “convenient gateway” for digital integration due to their low operational thresholds, high emotional density, and intensified narrative rhythms. Through in-depth analysis of viewing motivations and payment logic, this research uncovers a dual mechanism: elderly audiences engage in symbolic compensation for the “self-ideal” discrepancies caused by social role marginalization, physical decline, and emotional neglect in reality by immersing themselves in highly formulaic plotlines. Concurrently, platform algorithms and dopamine-driven instant gratification systems cultivate immersive dependency, prompting irrational, high-frequency micro-transactions at peak emotional arousal. Furthermore, the study critically identifies algorithmic exploitation risks arising from asymmetrical power dynamics, as certain platforms leverage elderly users’ limited technical proficiency through opaque auto-renewal subscriptions, ambiguous pricing displays, and interface designs that obscure cancellation pathways. To address these challenges, this paper advocates for strengthened regulatory frameworks ensuring transactional transparency, ethical platform design with age-inclusive safeguards, and community-based social support systems. Such multidimensional interventions are essential to fostering an inclusive and sustainable trajectory for silver economy development in the digital era.