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Networked Ideological Formation in the Generative AI Era: Marxist Theory Innovation, Youth Cultural Agency, and Ideological-Political Education for Chinese Modernization

Haoyang He

New Exploration of Ideology and Politics / 2026,8(2): 325–334 / 2026-05-29 32 28

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• Information:

  Department of Communication, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University, Zhuhai, China

• Keywords:
  Marxist Theory; Generative Artificial Intelligence; Ideological-Political Education; Chinese Modernization; Algorithmic Mediation; Youth Cultural Agency; Platform Governance
• Abstract: Generative artificial intelligence has altered the communicative environment in which young people encounter political values, educational narratives, and cultural authority. Existing research has examined artificial intelligence in education, algorithmic governance, and platformization, but the ideological-political implications of generative systems remain insufficiently theorized from a Marxist perspective. Drawing on qualitative interpretive analysis of policy texts, academic literature, and platform ecology, this article develops a Networked Ideological Formation Framework to explain how algorithmic mediation, youth cultural agency, pedagogical translation, and modernization-oriented value formation interact in digital China. The analysis argues that generative AI should not be treated only as an instructional tool. It is increasingly an infrastructural condition that reorganizes visibility, attention, credibility, and participation. For ideological-political education, the central challenge is therefore not simply how to digitize existing content, but how to translate Marxist theory into participatory, dialogic, and ethically governed forms that remain compatible with the broader project of Chinese modernization. The article contributes to Marxist theory innovation by conceptualizing ideology as a networked process of mediated practice rather than a one-directional transmission of doctrine. It also offers practical implications for curriculum design, platform governance, and youth-oriented value education in the generative AI era.
• DOI: 10.35534/neip.0802029 (registering DOI)
• Cite: He, H. Y. (2026). Networked Ideological Formation in the Generative AI Era: Marxist Theory Innovation, Youth Cultural Agency, and Ideological-Political Education for Chinese Modernization. New Exploration of Ideology and Politics, 8(2), 325–334.