Preamble

Design of a Reciprocal Path for Archival Public Cultural Services in the Context of Digital Intelligence

(School of Social Sciences, Soochow University)

1. Introduction

With the rapid development of "digital intelligence" (the integration of digital technology and artificial intelligence), the paradigm of public cultural services is undergoing a profound transformation. Archives, as critical repositories of social memory and cultural heritage, are no longer merely passive storage spaces but are evolving into active participants in the modern cultural ecosystem. This paper explores the design of a "reciprocal path" for archival public cultural services, aiming to bridge the gap between archival institutions and the public through intelligent technologies.

2. The Concept of Reciprocal Archival Services

The reciprocal path refers to a bidirectional, feedback-oriented service model where the archive provides cultural resources to the public, and the public, in turn, contributes to the enrichment and interpretation of archival content. In the digital intelligence era, this reciprocity is facilitated by machine learning, big data analytics, and interactive platforms.

[FIGURE:1]

As shown in [FIGURE:1], the traditional top-down dissemination of archival information is replaced by a circular flow of knowledge. This model emphasizes the co-creation of value, where user engagement data and crowdsourced annotations feed back into the archival system to improve service precision and resource organization.

3. Technological Foundations of Digital Intelligence

The implementation of a reciprocal service path relies on several key technologies:

• Machine Learning and Deep Learning: These are used for the automatic classification, recognition, and metadata extraction of massive archival datasets. For instance, the application of $\mathcal{F}$ as a feature extraction function allows for the identification of patterns in historical documents that were previously inaccessible.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP): NLP enables more intuitive search interfaces and the ability to analyze the sentiment and intent behind user queries.
• Knowledge Graphs: By constructing a knowledge graph $\mathcal{G} = (V, E)$, where $V$ represents archival entities and $E$ represents their relationships, archives can provide users with contextualized and interconnected cultural information.

4. Path Design and Implementation

The design of the reciprocal path is structured around three core dimensions: resource intelligence, service personalization, and participatory interaction.

4.1 Resource Intelligence and Data Mining

The first step involves the deep processing of archival resources. By utilizing deep learning models, archives can transform unstructured data into structured, machine-readable formats.

摘要

Abstract

[Significance] Driven by the wave of digitalization, the explosion of network information combined with recommendation algorithms has jointly fostered the phenomenon of "information cocoons." This phenomenon limits the breadth of public information acquisition and the depth of cultural cognition, posing a significant challenge to the value realization and long-term development of archival public digital cultural services.

[Methodology] Taking the context of the "information cocoon" as the analytical starting point, this study identifies the prominent dilemmas currently faced by archival public digital cultural services in resource provision, content distribution, and user acceptance across three dimensions: supply, dissemination, and consumption.

[Results/Conclusion] Based on an analysis of the underlying causes, this paper proposes a feedback-based path to address these challenges. This approach involves strengthening government guidance and algorithmic regulation at the macro level, while promoting the collaborative optimization of supply and demand at the practical level. The goal is to break through the constraints of information cocoons, reshape a service ecosystem that balances technological drivers with cultural orientation, and provide theoretical support and practical references for the innovative development of archival public digital cultural services.

关键词

Information Cocoons: Designing Feedback-Oriented Archival Public Digital Cultural Services in the Context of Digital Governance

Abstract

In the era of digital governance, the phenomenon of "information cocoons" poses a significant challenge to the equitable and diverse distribution of archival public cultural services. As algorithmic recommendation systems become more prevalent, users are increasingly confined to personalized information bubbles, which limits the social educational function and cultural dissemination potential of archives. This paper explores the mechanisms behind the formation of information cocoons within archival services and proposes a feedback-oriented design path for digital cultural services. By integrating machine learning and deep learning technologies, archives can transition from passive information repositories to active, intelligent service providers. The proposed framework emphasizes multi-dimensional data governance, algorithmic transparency, and a "feedback-loop" mechanism that allows user needs to inform service optimization, ultimately breaking the constraints of information cocoons and enhancing the public value of archival resources.

1. Introduction

The rapid advancement of digital governance has transformed the landscape of public cultural services. Archives, as repositories of collective memory and cultural heritage, are increasingly leveraging digital platforms to provide accessible services to the public. However, the widespread application of personalized recommendation algorithms has inadvertently led to the emergence of "information cocoons." In these environments, users are primarily exposed to information that aligns with their existing preferences, leading to a narrowing of intellectual horizons and a fragmentation of public discourse.

For archival institutions, the information cocoon effect undermines the core mission of providing comprehensive and objective historical knowledge. To address this, it is essential to design a feedback-oriented service model that utilizes digital governance strategies to promote information diversity and user engagement. This paper investigates how to leverage emerging technologies to design a "feedback-oriented" path that bridges the gap between archival resources and diverse public needs.

2. The Mechanism of Information Cocoons in Archival Services

The formation of information cocoons in the digital archival space is driven by several factors, primarily rooted in the technical architecture of digital platforms and the psychological patterns of users.

2.1 Algorithmic Homogenization

Modern digital archives often employ recommendation engines similar to those used in social media. These algorithms prioritize high-engagement content, creating a feedback loop where popular or "preferred" archival records are repeatedly pushed to the same user groups. This results in the marginalization of niche but historically significant records.

2.2 User Selective Exposure

Users tend to seek out archival information that confirms their existing cultural or historical perspectives. In a

NIE Yunxia SUN Jiayi (School of Sociology, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123)

Abstract

Purpose/Significance Driven digitalization, information overload algorithmic recommendation jointly fostered emergence information cocoon, which restricts breadth public information access depth cultural cognition. phenomenon poses challenges value realization long-term development archival public digital cultural services.

Methods/Process Taking information cocoon analytical context, study identifies major challenges faced archival public digital cultural services across three dimensions supply, dissemination, consumption focusing issues resource provision, content distribution, engagement.

Results/Conclusion Based

analysis

underlying causes, study

proposes feedback-oriented pathway strengthens governmental guidance algorithmic regulation macro level, while promoting coordinated optimization among supply, dissemination, demand practical level. approach break through constraints imposed information cocoon, rebalance technological drivers cultural orientation, provide theoretical practical

references

innovative development archival public digital cultural services.

Keywords

Information Cocoon; Archival Public Cultural Service; Digital Governance; Feedback-Oriented Design. On [Date], 2024, the Secretariat of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, in conjunction with other departments, jointly issued the "Notice on Carrying Out a Special Action for the Governance of Typical Algorithm Problems on Network Platforms." This notice explicitly mandates the prevention of information cocoons, the enhancement of the diversity and richness of pushed content, and the strict regulation of recommendation behaviors. This policy orientation not only highlights the state's high level of attention toward algorithm governance but also provides significant practical insights for the digital development of public cultural services.

With the explosive growth of network data and information, various platforms rely on technologies such as data collection, user profiling, and machine learning to achieve precision delivery through recommendation algorithms. While this has alleviated information overload to some extent, the solidification of filtering mechanisms has caused users to gradually fall into information cocoons. This phenomenon not only weakens the breadth of information acquisition and the depth of cultural cognition for the public but also imperceptibly reshapes the landscape of social and cultural exchange. In the practice of archival public digital cultural services, the application of recommendation algorithms also exhibits a dual effect. On one hand, it can accurately capture user interests, improving the utilization efficiency and dissemination effectiveness of archival resources. On the other hand, excessive reliance on personalized recommendations can easily lead to the homogenization of information supply, undermining the publicity and diversity of archival communication. Consequently, determining how to prevent the cocoon effect and break through the limitations of information cocoons while empowering services with intelligent technology has become an urgent issue for archival public digital cultural services to address.

In recent years, domestic research combining information cocoons with archival services has been relatively limited and is primarily scattered across studies on related topics. Some scholars have pointed out that while AI-driven archival services have improved the intelligence level of information acquisition and utilization, algorithmic recommendation mechanisms may further reinforce user preferences and induce the information cocoon effect. This, in turn, weakens the diversity and openness of archival information dissemination, limiting the expansion of the public's information horizons and the realization of public value. Other scholars, proceeding from the perspective of user behavior, have...

分析

This paper analyzes the dual positive and negative impacts on the dissemination of archival culture and proposes a collaborative solution involving the supply, intermediary, and demand sides to achieve balanced and open archival information services. Regarding international research, a search of the Web of Science Core Collection using keywords such as "information cocoon(s)," "echo chamber(s)," "information bubble(s)," and "archival service(s)" revealed no direct studies specifically focusing on archival services.

Upon expanding the search scope, it was found that relevant international literature is primarily concentrated in the fields of political democracy, algorithmic recommendation, and information dissemination. Specialized and systematic research that integrates these concepts with archival services remains rare.

In summary, the academic community has conducted in-depth research on these phenomena from the dimensions of information dissemination, algorithmic mechanisms, and public opinion ecology, laying an important foundation for understanding information flow characteristics and cognitive mechanisms in a digital society. However, introducing this perspective into the realm of archival public digital cultural services is of significant value for exploring issues such as the allocation of user attention, the visibility of cultural resources, and the dynamic balance of the public value of archives. In light of this, and in alignment with national cultural digitalization strategies and social development needs, this study adopts an archival science perspective to explore the design of "feedback-style" pathways for archival public digital cultural services. The objective is to provide a new reference perspective for the optimization and innovation of archival cultural functions.

1.1 信息茧房

The concept was first proposed by American scholar Cass Sunstein to describe a state in which the public, guided by their own interests, restricts themselves to a limited information environment. The academic community generally regards this as a consequential concept—namely, a closed state at the cognitive, emotional, and attitudinal levels resulting from long-term information narrowing. This is primarily manifested through three effects: information narrowing, group polarization, and filter bubbles. Based on this understanding, the phenomenon can be defined as individuals being confined within a self-created "cocoon" due to their own information preferences, social circles, or algorithmic technologies. By being exposed to highly homogenized information over the long term, they become isolated; the core characteristics of this state are information singularity, repetitive viewpoints, and cognitive closure.

Specifically, several key aspects must be grasped. First, it refers to the outcomes brought about by mechanisms such as algorithmic recommendation, manifested as a loss of cognitive diversity and risks of social polarization, rather than an individual's immediate information behavior. Second, personalized recommendation technology is a necessary condition. Sunstein emphasizes that algorithms exacerbate closure by constructing personalized environments that continuously push information the user likes while excluding heterogeneous information. Third, human agency cannot be ignored. Individual selective exposure, the need for group belonging, and psychological mechanisms to avoid cognitive dissonance also play a role in the generation of these cocoons. Therefore, it cannot be simply attributed to the "technological determinism" of algorithms. Regarding archival public digital cultural services, the Public Cultural Service Guarantee Law of the People's Republic of China states that public cultural services refer to public cultural facilities, cultural products, cultural activities, and other related services provided under government leadership with the participation of social forces, primarily aimed at meeting the basic cultural needs of citizens.

With the development of digitalization and networking, the realization of public cultural services has gradually extended from offline physical entities to digital spaces, making public digital cultural services an important form of service delivery.

As some scholars have pointed out, public digital cultural service is an active process of providing high-quality digital cultural services to the public. It uses national finance as its primary funding source and is characterized by resource digitalization, intelligent technology, networked communication, and ubiquitous service. Its value goals are to maximize public interest, maintain social equity, and cultivate noble character in the public.

Combining the above perspectives and applying them specifically to the archival field, archival public digital culture is a cultural service form centered on archival cultural resources. It follows the principles of non-profitability, sharing, and equalization, and utilizes various service methods such as resource construction, communication and display, interactive participation, and innovative extension. Its essence is to achieve archival exchange and reproduction through digitalization and networking, providing support for the inheritance of social memory, the cultivation of cultural identity, and the generation of public value. Specifically, archival public digital cultural services include digital archival resources, virtual exhibitions, and other products, as well as services such as online consultation, knowledge pushing, and interactive education. Once provided through a public platform, the marginal cost of adding an additional user is extremely low and does not affect the simultaneous enjoyment by others. This non-excludable and non-competitive nature makes it a typical public good or quasi-public good that meets the requirements of public digital cultural services. Regarding the dilemma of archival public digital cultural services in the current context, the evolution of archival public cultural services has progressed from the consultation-based services of traditional archives to the resource-open services of digital archives, and finally to the intelligent push services of smart archives. In this transformation, while technology has expanded the breadth and depth of archival services, it has also brought new dilemmas. While algorithmic pushing improves efficiency, it may also solidify user preferences, thereby weakening the diversity and value inherent in cultural services. 2.1 Supply Level: Deviation in Supply Orientation, Difficulty in Demonstrating Service Value. The core goal of archival public digital cultural services should be to realize public cultural value and promote the inheritance and sharing of social memory through unique, comprehensive, and diversified resource supply. However, this supply logic has gradually been influenced by the attention economy and platform operation mechanisms, leading to a clear orientation deviation.

First, service goals have shifted from public value toward traffic metrics. Driven by big data and algorithmic logic, click-through rates, likes, and communication heat have become the core standards for measuring service effectiveness. Consequently, providers

increasingly tend to chase mass interests and trending events in their content selection, such as major festivals, historical anniversaries, and Olympic milestones. To some extent, this orientation has broadened the social reach of archival culture and enhanced its communication timeliness and public affinity, reflecting the inclusive advantages of digital communication. However, this traffic-oriented approach has also caused archival services to slide toward a path where audience preference takes priority over cultural guidance, leading to superficial and homogenized archival content production. Second, supply forms are becoming increasingly entertained and fragmented. To cater to platform distribution mechanisms, archival cultural resources are often processed into lightweight, entertaining short videos or information snippets. Although this format aligns well with users' digital consumption habits and can quickly gain attention, the knowledge value and cultural depth of archival resources are compressed under the logic of fast consumption, greatly discounting their educational and deep communication functions.

Algorithmic recommendations reinforce immediate preferences and weaken the cultural guiding power of archival services, leaving users more immersed in the satisfaction of "fast-food" digital consumption. 2.2 Communication Level:

Limited Communication Range and Insufficient Resource Visibility. In the digital age engulfed by traffic, traffic has gradually become the core driver of attention capital. The deep connection between capital and media means that the growth of traffic drives the capture, storage, and diversion of attention. Public attention is shaped into a traffic landscape with economic benefits and is further commodified and capitalized. Under this logic, platforms have effectively formed a monopoly pattern based on traffic through the concentrated allocation of attention resources.

In an information dissemination system dominated by traffic logic, archival information is naturally at a disadvantage. In public perception, archival resources often carry political, historical, and professional connotations, and their content tends to be serious. This makes it difficult to effectively interface with the lightweight and entertaining content preferred by internet users.

This disadvantage is further amplified in the operation of communication channels. Archival public digital cultural services rely on two types of channels: first, content creation platforms independently built by archival institutions, such as archive WeChat accounts and portals. While these ensure the authority and professionalism of the content, their communication radius is limited, primarily reaching groups already interested in the archival field. Second, content distribution relies on social platforms such as Douyin, WeChat Video Accounts, Kuaishou, and Weibo. These leverage algorithm-driven mechanisms to reach a wider range of potential users, but their recommendation mechanisms favor entertaining and fragmented content, leaving archival resources in a marginalized state within the distribution system. At the same time, algorithmic filtering and interest preferences reinforce barriers to information exposure for the public. Consequently, even if archival cultural resources achieve digital construction and open sharing through the efforts of archives and public cultural institutions at all levels, they find it difficult to enter the user's information pool due to the lack of traffic entry points. 2.3 Consumption Level:

Increased Group Differentiation and Weakened Social Efficacy. Cultural consumption is a process of knowledge growth, innovation, and sublimation. Habermas pointed out in his theory of the public sphere that public space should serve as a platform for equal exchange and rational dialogue among social members, constructing social consensus and generating public value through open sharing of information and diverse dialogue. However, the consumption practice of archival public digital cultural services under the "cocoon" effect runs contrary to this ideal picture.

First, consumption behavior tends to be passively narrowed. Under the dominance of algorithmic recommendation logic, the way users encounter archival content has shifted from active exploration to passive reception, with information acquisition gradually confined to interest boundaries preset by algorithms. The result is that users form a state of cognitive inertia, becoming immersed in homogenized archival resources over the long term and lacking an expansive understanding of diverse information. Second, this passive narrowing further leads to the differentiation and isolation of consumption groups. Users are divided into multiple small circles with high internal identification based on differentiated "information diets," lacking space for exchange and dialogue between them, thus forming a pattern similar to cultural islands. Finally, when consumption patterns are solidified into a closed, circle-based structure over the long term, it becomes difficult to consolidate a sense of public cultural identity.

Causes of the Dilemmas in Archival Public Cultural Services in the Current Context. Archival public digital cultural services possess both public and professional attributes. When operating in a digital communication environment, they are inevitably shaped by both algorithmic logic and user consumption logic. In the current context, the service dilemmas presented by this digital ecology are characterized by multi-dimensional overlapping. Therefore, the following section will systematically analyze the causes of the dilemmas in archival public digital cultural services from three dimensions: structural relationships, technological mechanisms, and user psychology.

3.1 服务

Structural Misalignment

The fundamental goal of public cultural services is to satisfy the collective cultural needs of society, with effectiveness typically measured by service quality, quantity, public satisfaction, and participation levels. Within this framework, the ideal value orientation of archival public cultural services is to achieve a unity of balance and diversity. This involves ensuring equitable access rights for the public through equalized supply while responding to the differentiated needs of various groups through diverse content. However, in practice, the balance and diversity of supply are often constrained by technical means and platform logics, making these ideal goals difficult to fully realize. For instance, archival cultural content is systematically presented through digital resource access, collection catalogs, specialized databases, and virtual exhibition halls. While this holistic supply characteristic reflects the professionalism and public nature of archival institutions, it also dictates a relatively steady communication pace and longer content update cycles.

In contrast, platform distribution logic is built upon algorithm-driven competition for attention, emphasizing immediacy, fragmentation, and user stickiness. Through precision pushing and fragmented distribution, content is sliced into segments that match the immediate interests of individuals. Although this mechanism improves the efficiency of information acquisition, it risks creating a personalized filter based on user profiles. Consequently, a tension arises between these two logics: the supply side attempts to push archival resources to the whole of society in an inclusive manner, while the platform tends to transform them into information consumer goods for selective feeding based on specific preferences. The result is not only the marginalization of archival resources during the communication process but also a difficulty for the public to form a systematic historical understanding, thereby diluting the public cultural value of archives. Furthermore, this misalignment invisibly exacerbates the digital cultural divide, as groups that are less sensitive to archives or possess lower digital literacy are automatically excluded from the service, ultimately weakening the social cohesion function that public cultural services ought to provide.

Contradictions in Reality

In March 2025, the 55th "Statistical Report on Internet Development in China" released by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) showed that as of December 2024, the number of internet users in China reached 1.12 billion, with an internet penetration rate of 79.7%. Against this backdrop, obtaining information through algorithmic channels has become the primary mode of social information dissemination. The communication paths of archival public digital cultural services are increasingly dependent on intelligent content distribution platforms. Archival institutions and information websites, represented by the National Archives Administration of China and the China Archives News, undertake the functions of creating and aggregating original and authoritative content, constituting the content creation platforms. Meanwhile, short-video platforms and social media serve as intelligent content distribution platforms, utilizing big data and recommendation algorithms to precisely schedule how information reaches users.

Objectively, leveraging distribution platforms has indeed expanded the dissemination range of archival information to a certain extent. Successful cases have effectively enhanced the social influence of archival public cultural services.

For example, the "Exploring Rare Archives: Modern and Contemporary History of Huangshi Behind the Archives" short video series, meticulously produced by the Huangshi Municipal Archives, transformed dry and rigid archival resources into popular and vivid content, allowing the public to easily read archives and touch history through the short video format. On one hand, content creation platforms rely on intelligent distribution platforms to enhance social visibility and influence; on the other hand, archival institutions have almost no power to intervene in or control the platform's algorithmic models. Systematic and holistic content provided by archival institutions is unilaterally captured and reprocessed by platforms, resulting in a significant asymmetry in information flow. The logic of content delivery is entirely subject to algorithmic mechanisms, meaning that open supply does not necessarily translate into effective reach.

In practice, the original intention of technology has evolved into a "technical barrier." During the development of archival public digital cultural services, relevant institutional norms and evaluation mechanisms have lagged behind, and effective regulations targeting algorithmic bias and the protection of public service values on digital platforms have yet to be formed. The lack of institutional correction and guidance results in a lack of sufficient discourse power and adjustment space regarding platform logic in service practice, thereby deepening the weakening of public and professional objectives.

3.3 用户选择偏好与认知舒适的

The formation of this phenomenon is not only driven by technological advancement but is also deeply rooted in the inherent psychological mechanisms and selective preferences of users. This self-screening behavior, driven by individual psychology, constitutes the internal cause of the issue. According to cognitive principles, individuals instinctively tend to engage with information that aligns with their existing cognitive frameworks while avoiding heterogeneous content that might trigger cognitive dissonance, all in an effort to reduce the burden of information processing and maintain psychological comfort. In the context of archival information consumption, this mechanism manifests as a proactive preference for entertaining and simplified content, alongside a rejection of complex archival materials characterized by depth and criticality. Once algorithms capture a user's stable preference for homogeneous content, they further reinforce the supply of such materials. Consequently, the user's selective psychology and the algorithm's operational logic overlap, collectively compressing the diversity of archival information and trapping the service in an interest-oriented internal loop, which systematically exacerbates the problem.

Reciprocal Path Design for Public Cultural Services

The optimization of archival public digital cultural services should not be limited to one-way provision. Instead, it should involve the construction of an ecosystem characterized by bidirectional cycles and mutual nourishment. To this end, it is necessary to promote synergy between macro-institutional guidance and micro-service practices, thereby reshaping the open structure and social efficacy of archival public digital cultural services.

Reciprocal Path Design for Public Cultural Services: Macro-Oriented Dimensions

Under the current influence, it is difficult to break through information barriers and cultural cognitive limitations by relying solely on the operations of individual institutions or platforms. It is essential to coordinate the relationship between supply and demand, as well as value orientations, through government guidance and institutional safeguards.

4.1.1 引导

From a macro perspective, the underlying logic of public cultural services is not merely the provision of resources, but rather a governance practice that shapes social order and guides social values through culture. The key lies in achieving a dynamic balance between the guidance of public cultural values and the orientation of social needs. This ensures that cultural development possesses both the intellectual height of ideological leadership and the warmth of responsiveness to social realities.

First, archival public digital cultural services must adhere to correct orientations and strengthen the leadership of mainstream values, establishing their core position in areas such as resource construction and content dissemination. Currently, China's Public Cultural Service Guarantee Law, the Opinions on Promoting the High-Quality Development of Public Cultural Services, and the Opinions on Promoting the Implementation of the National Cultural Digitization Strategy all emphasize that public cultural services should be led by advanced socialist culture with Chinese characteristics. Supported by socialist core values, these services should promote the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture. Archival institutions should proactively exert their role in cultural guidance by strengthening the public attributes and intellectual depth of archival content on digital platforms. By organically integrating socialist core values with practical social needs, mainstream values can be incorporated into the public's daily life in a more approachable and engaging manner, ensuring they are not overwhelmed by the "logic of traffic" within the digital dissemination ecosystem. Simultaneously, full attention should be paid to the diversity and fluidity of social demands.

Archival public digital cultural services should account for differences across various groups, regions, and cultural levels, thereby forming a more inclusive pattern of cultural supply.

Conceptually, it is essential to establish a "people-centered" view of cultural development. This involves promoting the rights of social members to cultural expression and participation, ensuring that the public cultural service system maintains consistency in its overall value direction while responding to individual cultural needs.

4.1.2 完善算法规制体系以实现文化服务的公共性回归

International experience indicates that algorithmic regulation has become a core issue in digital governance. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) first introduced the "right to explanation" regarding automated decision-making. It requires data controllers to fulfill obligations such as data cleaning, ex-ante review, and ex-post intervention during automated processing, while granting data subjects the right to contest and seek explanations. This established a preliminary framework for algorithmic auditing and individual remedies. Furthermore, the Digital Services Act (DSA) mandates that large platforms disclose the primary parameters and operational mechanisms of their recommendation systems. It requires platforms to explain the algorithmic basis for content delivery to users and grants users the right to intervene in and autonomously choose the ranking of recommended content. In China, the Administrative Provisions on Algorithm Recommendation of Internet Information Services proposed systems for algorithm filing, classified and graded management, and social supervision. These institutional experiences provide essential references for exploring algorithmic governance within the archival field.

Based on the aforementioned experiences, a government-led algorithmic governance system with public attributes should be constructed. On one hand, an algorithm transparency mechanism should be established to periodically disclose recommendation logic, content filtering standards, and algorithmic parameters, thereby ensuring the public's right to know regarding information distribution mechanisms. On the other hand, algorithmic assessment and ethical review mechanisms should be introduced to evaluate the social impact of algorithms across dimensions such as diversity, fairness, and public interest, preventing technical logic from alienating public values. Through institutionalized algorithmic supervision and accountability constraints, it is possible to ensure that the digital dissemination of archives returns to its essential functions of cultural transmission and social education—while still maintaining user experience and precise content delivery—thus promoting the openness, balance, and healthy flow of the public digital cultural space.

4.2 实践运行维度

Supported by macro-policies and institutional guarantees, the actual implementation of archival digital public cultural services still relies on specific practical operations. The practical operation dimension focuses on the collaborative interaction between three aspects: service supply, information dissemination, and public demand. This dimension aims to transform institutional guidance into implementable operational mechanisms.

4.2.1 Supply Side

Optimizing Production Mechanisms to Promote Co-creation and Symbiosis of Archival Content

First, the content production model should be refined to build an open, co-creative ecosystem. A unidirectional archival content supply model tends to result in narrow information loops and insufficient communication effectiveness. Consequently, digital public cultural services for archives urgently need to transition toward a production ecosystem centered on open collaboration and multi-party co-creation.

To achieve this, the construction and operation of archival content creation platforms must be strengthened to form a stable content creation ecology. During this process, it is essential to ensure the periodicity and sustainability of content updates. By formulating structured content update plans, platforms can maintain long-term user engagement. For example, the Douyin (TikTok) account for the Beijing TV program The Forbidden City has garnered nearly 10,000 likes, establishing a consistent output rhythm. This approach not only satisfies audience expectations but also strengthens the platform algorithm's tendency to expose its content, thereby ensuring the visibility of archival material within information streams. Furthermore, emphasis should be placed on maintaining long-term user attention and constructing...

Stable user expectations and brand loyalty are essential for long-term engagement. Furthermore, archival institutions should expand channels for social participation to stimulate the vitality of public co-creation. These institutions must view the general public as vital participants in the content ecosystem, utilizing incentive mechanisms and interactive designs to encourage active involvement in the development and dissemination of archival resources.

To leverage broad social forces to improve archival resources, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) of the United States launched the "Citizen Archivist" project. This initiative features a dedicated column on the National Archives' homepage where users, after familiarizing themselves with relevant policies, can register online to participate in archival information resource management and development practices, such as tagging, archival description, and transcription. Since its inception, the project has achieved significant success. In recognition of its effectiveness in improving the relationship between the public and government agencies, the project was honored with the 2012 "Government Innovation Practice of the Year" award.

Similarly, the National Archives Administration of China collaborated with Guangming Online to launch a themed voting activity titled "Who Has the Best Archival Cultural and Creative Products?" Using 13 Chinese archival documents inscribed in the Memory of the World Register as a creative foundation, the activity invited the public to vote for the archival documents they most hoped to see developed into cultural and creative products. By employing interactive and engaging methods, this activity organically integrated public interest with the development of archival resources. This approach not only enhanced the social visibility and cultural dissemination of archival resources but also provided new sources of inspiration and communication channels for archival content creation, thereby promoting co-creation and symbiosis between archival institutions and the public.

Second, it is essential to improve the quality of supplied content by balancing expertise with engagement. The professional depth and aesthetic appeal of the content itself are equally critical to the reach and social influence of digital archival cultural services.

The high-quality supply of archival content can be advanced through two primary pathways: the transformation of professional knowledge and the implementation of innovative expression.

1. Professional Knowledge Transformation

Professional knowledge transformation refers to the process of using archival expertise as the core foundation for content creation. This involves screening and refining the historical information, cultural significance, and social value inherent in archival documents to ensure they align with the context of digital communication and public comprehension habits. For instance, short-video communication is characterized by being "short, unique, and fast." This requires creators to leverage deep knowledge reserves to transform complex historical archival content into easily digestible knowledge units. By employing narrative strategies that are grounded in daily life and specific scenarios, creators can lower cognitive barriers for users and enhance the approachability of the content.

A prime example is the Huangshicheng WeChat Video Account’s production, "Searching for Cats via Maps: The Palace Cats Emerging from Qing Dynasty Records." The creators astutely captured the resonance between archival resources and modern pet culture. They combined Qing Dynasty palace cat archives with cartoonish visuals and the images of real-life resident cats at the archives. This approach maintained the authenticity and professionalism of archival knowledge while stimulating public interest through an engaging format. By successfully balancing informativeness with entertainment, they enhanced both the attractiveness and the cultural identity of archival communication.

2. Innovative Expression

Innovative expression involves expanding the representational space and cultural reach of archival content through cross-sector integration, knowledge aggregation, and technological empowerment.

First, this pathway promotes cross-sector integration and co-creation. By relying on the cultural heritage of archival resources, institutions can explore deep linkages with fields such as film and television, gaming, education, and cultural/creative industries. Embedding archival elements into diverse carriers allows for the formation of unique digital cultural products. For example, the Sichuan Provincial Archives created China’s first virtual archival culture [FIGURE:1], which disseminates archival knowledge in a personified and engaging manner. This allows archival culture to naturally integrate into public life, becoming a new cultural symbol readily accepted by younger generations.

Second, it strengthens knowledge aggregation and the reconstruction of historical scenes. Through thematic planning and content reorganization, institutions can break away from the fragmented presentation of archival resources. This enables the construction of systematized knowledge graphs and immersive environments that provide a more holistic understanding of the records.

...digital exhibition halls and interactive storylines, which enhance the inherent value of knowledge while simultaneously providing entertainment. Third, the approach deepens expressive innovation through technological empowerment. By leveraging emerging technologies such as digital storytelling, Virtual Reality (VR), and interactive visualization, archival resources can be transformed into engaging and immersive expressions. This allows users to achieve knowledge absorption and cultural identification through effortless interaction. Consequently, this establishes a bidirectional feedback mechanism for the dissemination of archival culture, promoting continuous innovation in content supply and the regeneration of archival value.

4.2.2 Disseminators

Improving Algorithmic Governance and Strengthening Platform Public Responsibility

Optimizing Algorithmic Recommendation Mechanisms

The key to optimizing recommendation mechanisms lies in enhancing information diversity and algorithmic transparency. First, information diversity weights should be integrated into recommendation models. By implementing measures such as setting proportions for heterogeneous content and developing cross-topic delivery mechanisms, platforms can ensure users are exposed to a broader range of cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural archival resources, thereby avoiding the narrowing of content.

Furthermore, efforts should be made to construct recommendation explanation mechanisms. These mechanisms allow users to understand the logic and criteria behind algorithmic selections, which in turn enhances user autonomy and trust. Only through the dual guarantees of diversity and interpretability can algorithmic recommendations truly fulfill their function of promoting knowledge expansion rather than restricting cognitive boundaries.

On the other hand, strengthening platform self-regulation is essential to balancing commercial interests with public responsibility. As the core carriers of information dissemination, platforms are not merely operators of algorithms but also primary stakeholders in public cultural communication. Consequently, platforms should be encouraged to establish internal regulatory and self-discipline mechanisms. For instance, by implementing diversified recommendation metrics and balanced content distribution mechanisms, platforms can be guided to prioritize cultural value while maintaining click-through rates. Furthermore, user feedback channels and public supervision mechanisms should be improved to ensure that content distribution reflects diverse social needs. Building on this foundation, platforms should proactively assume social responsibility by integrating archival cultural content into their high-quality content ecosystems, thereby achieving a dynamic balance between commercial interests and public value.

In recent years, several platforms have begun exploring value-oriented optimizations of their content ecosystems. For example, the Douyin platform has established explicit content quality evaluation standards and recommendation mechanisms. These initiatives guide algorithms to prioritize the distribution of content characterized by its intellectual, cultural, and social value, allowing previously marginalized vertical fields and niche cultures to gain greater exposure. The practical application of this model demonstrates that platforms are fully capable of enhancing the visibility of high-quality cultural resources while maintaining high levels of user traffic. Regarding archival digital public cultural services, adopting similar mechanisms—such as including archival content in the platform's high-quality content pool and utilizing algorithmic support and traffic tilting to increase cultural visibility—would not only broaden the social reach of archival dissemination but also facilitate the construction of a content ecosystem where commercial logic and public cultural missions coexist.

4.2.3 Demand Side:

Enhancing Public Literacy and Cultivating Diverse, Open Cognition

First, it is essential to cultivate the public's ability to discern and utilize information. Members of the general audience are often constrained by their pre-existing interests and platform-driven recommendation algorithms, which can lead to a deficiency in autonomous information filtering and critical judgment. Consequently, the design of "feedback-oriented" (back-feeding) pathways must prioritize the enhancement of public digital literacy as a core objective.

On one hand, efforts should be intensified to educate the public on information acquisition, screening, and evaluation techniques. This guidance is necessary to help individuals develop the capacity to distinguish truth from falsehood and identify valuable content within a diverse and complex information environment. On the other hand, archival institutions and educational departments can collaborate to provide systematic digital literacy training.

Through initiatives such as archival utilization workshops and information literacy courses, the public can be empowered to master methodologies for searching and analyzing archival resources. As digital literacy continues to improve, individuals will be better equipped to proactively bypass the narrowed pathways established by algorithmic filtering, thereby achieving broader information acquisition and more robust knowledge construction.

Furthermore, the effect of breaking the "cognitive comfort zone" is not merely a technical phenomenon; it is deeply rooted in the psychological mechanisms of public cognition. Individuals tend to seek out information that aligns with their existing perspectives while rejecting or ignoring heterogeneous content, thereby becoming trapped within a cognitive comfort zone. To overcome this limitation, it is necessary to shape public awareness of openness and pluralistic cognition through value guidance and cultural dissemination.

First, archival institutions can leverage digital exhibitions, thematic educational activities, and cross-cultural narratives to integrate archival resources with social hotspots, historical reflections, and cultural diversity. Such initiatives can stimulate public interest in and reflection on heterogeneous information. Second, communication platforms and media outlets should actively assume social responsibility by fostering a public opinion environment that encourages open exchange and pluralistic dialogue. Third, the education system and public cultural services should emphasize the cultivation of critical thinking and cross-disciplinary perspectives, helping the public recognize the importance of engaging with diverse information. Through continuous conceptual guidance, the public can gradually overcome cognitive inertia and develop an open, inclusive, and pluralistic mindset. This transformation is essential to truly realizing the "feedback effect" of archival digital public cultural services.

5 结论

In this context, the development of archival public digital cultural services faces both new opportunities brought by technological empowerment and practical challenges arising from algorithmic bias and value alienation. To achieve the sustainable development of archival cultural communication, the key lies in a path-oriented design that constructs a service ecosystem where technological drivers and cultural orientations are mutually balanced. Through institutional guarantees led by the government, innovative practices by archival institutions, and the active participation of the public, a circular interaction can be formed across the levels of supply, dissemination, and consumption. This approach will drive archival public digital cultural services to return to their authentic mission of cultural communication and social education.

Future archival public digital cultural services should not merely function as platforms for providing digital resources; rather, they should become vital spaces for promoting the sharing of social memory, the construction of cultural identity, and the growth of civic knowledge. Only by breaking down technological silos and reshaping the balance of values can archival resources fulfill their contemporary mission of inheriting national cultural memory and fostering public cultural innovation.

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