Platformised Authenticity: A Digital Sustainability Framework for Intangible Cultural Heritage

Abstract

This study examines how authenticity is formed and negotiated in the digital dissemination of intangible cultural heritage under platform-based cultural production. It develops a Platformised Authenticity Framework (PAF) to explain the relationship between authenticity, commercialisation, and digital sustainability. Using a mixed-methods design, the study combines a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis of Scopus-indexed publications with a qualitative case study based on interviews with eight key stakeholders. The findings identify three interrelated stages of platformised authenticity: the display stage, in which heritage is made visible through visual narratives in digital environments; the perception stage, in which algorithmic recommendation and audience judgement shape cultural credibility; and the experience stage, in which emotional engagement and participatory interaction support social reproduction. The analysis further shows that inheritors, content creators, and users play different but interconnected roles across these three stages. By moving beyond a static understanding of authenticity, this study shows that the digital sustainability of intangible cultural heritage depends on the continued interaction among material integrity, platform visibility, and participatory cultural experience.