Investigating Chinese Microblogging through a Citizen Journalism Perspective
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2020
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Freedom of expression has been unwittingly enhanced in China over the last decade through the rapid growth of social media, despite censorship and other punitive measures to control this new media. With their ever-increasing popularity, there are a growing number of research studies on China’s social media and the new territory of Chinese microblogs, but most studies focus on the technology from a systems, services, or marketing perspective rather than a sociological perspective. However, a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews with the so-called “netizens” (a term commonly used by Chinese media to refer online users) to understand their participation on Weibo has seldom been conducted. In this study, twenty-eight Chinese netizens were interviewed, alongside a content analysis of Weibo public posts on two “Weibo events”, in an effort to expand our understanding of China’s social media and Chinese citizen journalism, with particular reference to Weibo. The key research question was: to what extent has microblogging (on Weibo) empowered citizen journalism in China?
Using qualitative approaches, a range of findings have emerged from the processes of media content analysis and grounded theory analysis in this research. These findings examine the role of Weibo in promoting citizen journalism, address the practice models and the relational modes with Chinese authorities, and further situate the phenomenon in the particular social, political, and cultural context of China. More specifically, the findings highlight the means through which citizen journalists practise on the platform, the existence and implications of Weibo citizen events, the responses and reactions of the Chinese authorities, including government and mainstream media, the debates and controversies about the phenomenon, and the social influences it has achieved so far. Microblogging services like Weibo keep Chinese netizens informed of their immediate community and society and enable discussion of local (and some national) issues, mainly social and law and order issues, but by and large, citizen journalism is not able to make a huge difference in the political sphere in any significant way, due to both techno-political constraints and socio-political control. Nevertheless, it has forced the authorities to engage in selective transparency in regard to some high-profile issues of public interest.
While most scholarship in English speaks for the experiences of Chinese citizens on public debate, participatory media, censorship and regulation, this research gives a sample of articulate Chinese netizens a voice on these matters. The thesis is grounded in netizens’ own concerns and interests about Weibo and the interviewing has drew out remarkable reflection from research participants, this research has been able to show how Weibo users participate in an information dissemination process on the platform and develop a particular kind of media literacy in a context of low trust and high censorship. As a substantial independent research, this thesis has made an original and distinct contribution to knowledge.
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