“Stimulating consumption” has become a central concern in the era of the traffic-driven economy. The creation of internet-famous spectacles represents a practical strategic response to this agenda, with its key mechanism rooted in mobilizing mass consumption through the social dynamics of meaning-making. A recent example is Lin Jiang, a former businessman-turned livestreamer from Rongchang District in Chongqing Municipality, who drew widespread attention online and earned the nickname “Uncle Goose” after traveling across multiple cities to follow American streamer IShowSpeed during his 2025 visit to China, persistently offering him Rongchang braised goose, a local specialty. The coordinated actions of “Uncle Goose,” the local government, and local residents quickly gave rise to what became known as the “Rongchang phenomenon,” significantly boosting local socioeconomic development.

Personal conduct as prerequisite

The personal conduct of internet influencers forms the prerequisite for meaning-making in the era of the traffic-driven economy and serves as a catalyst for mass consumption. In this environment, crafting personas, courting attention through sensational tactics, leveraging visibility, and converting traffic into revenue have become routine. However, fabricated personas often collapse under the intense scrutiny made possible by netizens’ investigative capabilities. Rather than painstakingly contriving an appealing facade, it is more sustainable to rely on authenticity of character and action.

At first, “Uncle Goose’s” behavior—wearing his signature floral cotton jacket in sweltering heat while trailing IShowSpeed across cities to present him with Rongchang’s signature dish—was dismissed by some online observers as opportunistic clout-chasing. However, once netizens examined his background, public opinion shifted rapidly, and he came to be viewed as a symbol of grassroots success.

“Uncle Goose” earned trust and recognition through his sincerity, generosity, and public-spirited ethos, while his incessant offering of braised goose came to be understood not as self-promotion but as an effort to publicize his hometown’s cuisine and support its development. Reports that he carried significant debts yet continued to work diligently further reinforced this perception. Taken together, these elements ignited the initial spark of online meaning-making, laying the groundwork for meaning-oriented mass consumption.

Government as crucial mediator

Government action—firm yet humane—functions as a crucial mediating mechanism for meaning-making in the era of the traffic-driven economy, and thus serves as an “amplifier” for stimulating mass consumption. From the perspective of meaning construction, the People’s Government of Rongchang District implemented a coordinated package of measures designed to enhance visitors’ offline meaning-oriented consumption experience through high-quality public services.

These included requiring businesses to guarantee product and service standards without raising prices, granting free access to tourist attractions, public transportation, and parking facilities, and even opening government canteens to visitors. Such initiatives allowed tourists to experience governmental goodwill directly, dispelling preexisting stereotypes and narrowing the psychological distance between visitors and the city.

Through its response to public demands for quality, safety, cost-effectiveness, emotional fulfillment, and value, the local government created a warm, grounded, and emotionally resonant consumption symbol, deepened the emotional satisfaction and perceived meaning of mass consumption, and built a public service-supported community centered on meaning-oriented consumption.

Local residents as ‘adhesive’

The communal sentiment of local residents constitutes another essential condition for meaning-making in the traffic-driven economy, acting as social “adhesive” for consumption mobilization. In this era, mass consumption is driven not only by culinary specialties and scenic attractions promoted online, but also by the humanistic atmosphere and affective ethos of a place.

As attention surrounding “Uncle Goose” intensified, local residents actively reinforced this emotional ethos. Upon his return to Rongchang—after having treated others to its signature braised goose—local merchants reciprocated, hosting him and publicly pledging to safeguard the reputation of Rongchang cuisine.

Numerous residents volunteered to provide free transportation and other forms of assistance to tourists, exhibiting hospitality and generosity while offering warm and meaning-oriented consumption experiences. This collective sentiment lent warmth and affinity to the attention generated by the online spectacle, creating an emotional atmosphere in which consumers could quickly immerse themselves in meaning-oriented consumption.

Peng Zongfeng is an associate research fellow from the Institute of Philosophy at the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences (SDASS). Zhou Jing is an associate research fellow from the Department of Research Management at SDASS.