WeChat subscription accounts (WSAs) in Australia: a political economy account of Chinese-language digital/social media

Yu, H; Sun, W

WeChat subscription accounts (WSAs) in Australia: a political economy account of Chinese-language digital/social media

Yu, H Sun, W

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Publisher:: SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Media International Australia, 2021, 179, (1), pp. 96-112
Issue Date:: 2021-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Yu, H
dc.contributor.author	Sun, W https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8687-3739
dc.date.accessioned	2021-08-12T09:07:52Z
dc.date.available	2021-08-12T09:07:52Z
dc.date.issued	2021-01-01
dc.identifier.citation	Media International Australia, 2021, 179, (1), pp. 96-112
dc.identifier.issn	1329-878X
dc.identifier.issn	2200-467X
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/150113
dc.description.abstract	This article is a political economy account of Australia-focused subscription accounts on the social media platform WeChat, based on an analysis of 50 top-ranked WeChat subscription accounts (WSAs) in Australia over a 1-week period in July 2019 and empirical data collected from 2 large surveys conducted among Chinese Australians in 2018 and 2019. It provides a nuanced understanding of the institutional context, regulatory framework and modus operandi of these WSAs, illustrating the development of and connection between the following three components: online Chinese-language media content, WeChat as a content delivery platform and WSAs as business initiatives. The article argues that the status of Chinese-language digital/social media in Australia is confined by a pre-existing technological infrastructure and regulatory framework, rather than any direct intervention of a specific authority, media outlet or platform, and that these media outlets and platforms should best be understood as an instance of transnational entrepreneurship.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP180100663
dc.relation.ispartof	Media International Australia
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1177/1329878X20932356
dc.rights	Yu, H.; Sun, W.\| WeChat subscription accounts (WSAs) in Australia: a political economy account of Chinese-language digital/social media \| Media International Australia Vol. 179, (1) 96-112\| 01 Jan 2021 \| [10.1177/1329878X20932356]
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	16 Studies in Human Society, 19 Studies in Creative Arts and Writing, 20 Language, Communication and Culture
dc.title	WeChat subscription accounts (WSAs) in Australia: a political economy account of Chinese-language digital/social media
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	179
utslib.for	16 Studies in Human Society
utslib.for	19 Studies in Creative Arts and Writing
utslib.for	20 Language, Communication and Culture
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/Public Communication Program
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.date.updated	2021-08-12T09:07:51Z
pubs.issue	1
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	179
utslib.citation.issue	1

Abstract:

This article is a political economy account of Australia-focused subscription accounts on the social media platform WeChat, based on an analysis of 50 top-ranked WeChat subscription accounts (WSAs) in Australia over a 1-week period in July 2019 and empirical data collected from 2 large surveys conducted among Chinese Australians in 2018 and 2019. It provides a nuanced understanding of the institutional context, regulatory framework and modus operandi of these WSAs, illustrating the development of and connection between the following three components: online Chinese-language media content, WeChat as a content delivery platform and WSAs as business initiatives. The article argues that the status of Chinese-language digital/social media in Australia is confined by a pre-existing technological infrastructure and regulatory framework, rather than any direct intervention of a specific authority, media outlet or platform, and that these media outlets and platforms should best be understood as an instance of transnational entrepreneurship.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/150113