Reconstructing the Power Structure of Visual Communication in the Platform Era: Re-examining Content Production Mechanisms Amid the Rise of AIGC

Abstract

As platformization becomes the dominant structure shaping global digital ecosystems, the domain of visual communication is entering a phase of extensive structural reconfiguration. This study argues that the rise of AI-generated content (AIGC) does not merely revolutionize creative workflows but exposes and intensifies long‑standing tensions between algorithmic governance, creator autonomy, and platform‑centered visibility structures. Building upon theories of media affordances, platform governance, and visual cultural politics, this paper presents a comprehensive and expanded framework—aimed at understanding how AIGC reshapes cultural production, reorganizes symbolic power, and transforms meaning‑making processes in the platform era.