Community roles in folk culture preservation under digital transformation: Evidence from Northeastern Vietnam

This study examines community role reconfiguration in folk culture preservation under digital transformation in Northeastern Vietnam. Using a qualitative design and a survey (N=291), the research finds that community roles remain fundamentally practice-based, rooted in social obligations and embodied knowledge rather than formal appointments. While digital transformation increases visibility, it acts as a selective amplifier, creating a layered structure: younger members gain representational power, while senior practitioners the primary knowledge holders often remain digitally peripheral. A structural tension persists between community-centered logics, prioritizing ritual continuity, and institutional digital agendas focused on technical standardization. The study concludes that role reconfiguration is a process of negotiated adaptation. Digital roles acquire legitimacy only when aligned with community values and intergenerational transmission. Ultimately, sustainable preservation requires recognizing community authority as a foundational condition for cultural continuity, rather than a mere procedural input.