Celebrating the 45th Anniversary of the University of Macau:

Computational Social Sciences Workshop | Family, Fertility and Feeds: Computational Insights into Childbirth and Parenthood Discourses in East Asian Social Media

Speaker: Prof. Muzhi Zhou, Assistant Professor, Urban Governance and Design Thrust, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)

Date: 27/3/2026 (Friday)

Time: 13:30 – 15:00

Venue: E21B-G016

Language: English

Register: https://isw.um.edu.mo/evmapp/register/css_muzhizhou

Abstract:

Across East Asia, fertility rates have reached historic lows, but far less is known about how everyday online conversations could reflect the underneath beliefs and imaginations about contemporary childbirth and parenthood. In this talk, I draw on two large-scale computational projects analyzing more than 600,000 comments on short-video platforms from China, Japan, and South Korea. Using several large language models (LLMs), I examine how social media users discuss reproduction, parenthood, and family life in an algorithm-driven media environment. These studies demonstrate how computational text analysis can illuminate the cultural construction of family life in the digital era, offering new insights into how social media platforms both mirror and shape shifting ideas of parenting, gender roles, and fertility.

Bio:

Dr. Muzhi Zhou is an Assistant Professor in the Urban Governance and Design Thrust at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou). She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Oxford in 2019. Her research focuses on family and gender, life course, digital inequality, and social computing. Her work has been published in top journals such as Gender & Society, Journal of Marriage and Family, Population and Development Review as well as multiple flagship refereed computer science conferences.

For those who have registered and attended the workshop, 1 SP & 15.0 “Knowledge integration ” (CS) will be given to each student. Please note the following guidelines of Smart Point scheme:

• Students who attend the WHOLE activity and arrive ON TIME will be given one Smart Point;
• Students who arrive late or leave early within 10 minutes will be given only half a Smart Point;
• Students who arrive late or leave early over 10 minutes will NOT be given any Smart Point;
• Students who leave the venue during the activity for over 15 minutes will NOT be given any Smart Point;
• Students are required to check in/out of the activity with Student ID Card.

Enquiry：8822 8976 or fss.enquiry@um.edu.mo