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The app pivoted successfully to \u201cshoppable videos\u201d and livestream shopping by operating as a retail infrastructure. This article analyzes this transformation, arguing that Douyin strategically limits data availability, creating an artificial scarcity for capturing advertising and infrastructural rents. This approach is sustained by Douyin\u2019s carefully crafted vision for career and business success derived from data\u2019s speculative value. The app established reciprocal relationships with music creators and later video creators and sellers through reward programs, contractual deals, and online workshops. However, success often remains unattainable due to the uneven growth between continuous influx of creators\/sellers and stalled user growth. This disparity allows Douyin to incorporate paid traffic into its business model, perpetuating data\u2019s manufactured scarcity and obscuring exploitative practices by making paid traffic an essential component for success.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/14614448251314448","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,29]],"date-time":"2025-01-29T13:49:04Z","timestamp":1738158544000},"page":"1792-1810","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["\u201cWhen pigs fly\u201d: Resources swapping, affordable marketing, and the transformation of Douyin from short video sharing to online shopping"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"28","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9691-3976","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shuaishuai","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Manchester, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_5_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1354856517736978"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_3_1","unstructured":"ByteDance (2019a) Douyin launches music spotlight program. 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