Beyond Visibility: Understanding Public Cultural Responses to Bamboo Weaving Intangible Cultural Heritage on Douyin

Short-video platforms have become important arenas for the digital dissemination of intangible cultural heritage (ICH). However, under platform-based algorithmic recommendation mechanisms, greater digital visibility does not necessarily translate into public cultural understanding or meaningful digital participation. Existing studies emphasize exposure and interaction metrics, but pay limited attention to how visibility is converted into public cultural responses. This study analyzes 152 Douyin videos on bamboo weaving and 13,527 valid comments using BERTopic and large language models. Public responses are examined through topic salience, fine-grained emotion, and cultural responsiveness. The results reveal a clear misalignment between visibility and response: higher propagation salience does not necessarily generate more culturally resonant comments, whereas lower-volume topics concerning transmission, protection, and innovation more often elicit responses related to craft understanding, preservation concern, and transmission-oriented expression. This study offers a data-driven approach for moving beyond traffic-centered evaluation in digital ICH communication.