Negative framing of the image of Muslims, especially after 9/11, has caused numerous Muslim communities to become apprehensive about the way their identity is presented in the mass media. One such community being affected by negative representations based on Islamophobia and other gender-related stereotypes is Pakistan. As a result, these misunderstandings are being addressed through the construction of alternative and contrasting online identities by Pakistani vloggers through digital media. This paper excavates the diversified constructions of vloggers’ online identities using two theoretical approaches to explaining identity construction: micro-hegemonies and the investment model. Nineteen Pakistani vloggers were purposively selected for the study, who were observed over a period of two years using online observations, interviews, and email conversations, adopting a digital ethnographic approach. The investigation found that the vloggers choose to portray their religious practices, Pakistani identity, and local culture and norms while simultaneously utilizing Western norms to indicate their modernity. Moreover, they regularly emphasize that they are normal, regular human beings. Hence, the paper contributes to understanding how Pakistanis present a complex, hybrid identity which counters the dominant narratives in the media.

中文翻译：

---

数字媒体与身份建构：探索巴基斯坦视频博主的话语

对穆斯林形象的负面塑造，尤其是在 9/11 之后，已经导致许多穆斯林社区对大众媒体中呈现他们身份的方式感到担忧。巴基斯坦就是这样一个受到基于伊斯兰恐惧症和其他与性别相关的陈规定型观念的负面表述影响的社区。因此，巴基斯坦视频博主通过数字媒体构建了替代性和对比性的在线身份，从而解决了这些误解。本文从微观霸权和投资模型这两种解释身份建构的理论方法来挖掘视频博主在线身份的多元化建构。有 19 位巴基斯坦视频博主被有目的地选为研究对象，他们通过在线观察、访谈、和电子邮件对话，采用数字人种学方法。调查发现，视频博主选择描绘他们的宗教习俗、巴基斯坦身份以及当地文化和规范，同时利用西方规范来表明他们的现代性。此外，他们经常强调自己是正常的普通人。因此，本文有助于理解巴基斯坦人如何呈现一种复杂的、混合的身份，以对抗媒体中的主流叙事。