Emerging Media Use and Acceptance of Digital Immortality: A Cluster Analysis among Chinese Young Generations
Digital immortality is increasingly discussed as a technological possibility, yet empirical evidence about potential users' evaluations remains limited. We surveyed 462 Chinese young adults, combining cluster analysis of four emerging-media use frequencies with valence coding of open-ended responses to physical death, physical immortality, digital immortality, and digital death. Three profiles emerged: broad emerging-media, gaming-focused, and low-use users. Broad emerging-media users reported the highest adjusted acceptance and scored higher on several personality and worldview measures, while fear of death did not differ across profiles. Physical immortality elicited the most negative responses; digital immortality produced more mixed, less negative appraisals. More favorable digital-immortality appraisals predicted higher acceptance after adjustment for media-use profile and demographics, although scenario valence did not differ across profiles. The findings distinguish general receptivity associated with emerging-media repertoires from emotional responses to specific imagined futures, showing that evaluations depend on the form of continuity envisioned.