Media Events in Web 2.0 China: Interventions of Online Activism (Asian and Asian American Studies)

This book is among the first to use a “media events” framework to examine China’s Internet activism and politics, and the first study of the transformation of China’s media events through the parameter of online activism. The author locates the practices of major modes of online activism in China (shanzhai [culture jamming]; citizen journalism; and weiguan [mediated mobilization]) into different types of Chinese media events (ritual celebration, natural disaster, political scandal). The contextualized analysis of online activism thus enables exploration of the spatial, temporal and relational dimensions of Chinese online activism with other social agents. This book is among the first to use a "media events" framework to examine China's Internet activism and politics, and the first study of the transformation of China's media events through the parameter of online activism. The author locates the practices of major modes of online activism in China (shanzhai [culture jamming]; citizen journalism; and weiguan [mediated mobilisation]) into different types of Chinese media events (ritual celebration, natural disaster, political scandal). The contextualised analysis of online activism thus enables exploration of the spatial, temporal and relational dimensions of Chinese online activism with other social agents -- such as the Party-state, mainstream media and civil society. Analysis reveals Internet politics in China on three interrelated levels: the individual, the discursive and the institutional. Contemporary cases, rich in empirical research data and interdisciplinary theory, demonstrate that the alternative and activist use of the Internet has intervened into and transformed conventional Chinese media events in various types of agents, their agendas and performances, and the subsequent and corresponding political impact. The Party-market controlled Chinese media events have become more open, contentious and deliberative in the Web 2.0 era due to the active participation of ordinary Chinese people aided by the Internet This book is among the first to use a "media events" framework to examine China's Internet activism and politics, and the first study of the transformation of China's media events through the parameter of online activism. The author locates the practices of major modes of online activism in China (shanzhai e'gao, citizen journalism and weiguan into different types of Chinese media events (ritual celebration, natural disaster and political scandal). The contextualized analysis of online activism thus enables exploration of the spatial, temporal and relational dimensions of Chinese online activism with other social agents - such as the Party-state, mainstream media and civil society. Analysis reveals China's Internet politics on three interrelated levels: the individual, the discursive and the institutional. The book demonstrates that the alternative and activist uses of the Internet have provided opportunities and possibilities for challenging and transforming different types of media events via agents, agendas, performance and political impacts. The Party-market controlled Chinese media events have become more open, contentious and deliberative in the Web 2.0 era due to the active participation of ordinary Chinese people aided by the Internet and new media Front Cover Title Page Copyright Contents Series Editor’s Preface List of Tables, Figures and Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Alternative Media and Online Activism 2 Media Celebration: Shanzhai Media Culture as Media Intervention 3 Media Disaster: Citizen Journalism as Alternative Crisis Communication 4 Media Scandal: Online Weiguan as Networked Collective Action 5 Internet Interventionsim and Deliberative Politics in China’s Web 2.0 Era Glossary Notes Bibliography Index Back Cover Introduction -- Alternative Media And Online Activism -- Media Celebration: Shanzhai Media Culture As Media Intervention -- Media Disaster: Citizen Journalism As Alternative Crisis Communication -- Media Scandal: Online Weiguan As Networked Collective Action -- Conclusion: Internet Interventionism And Deliberative Politics In China's Web 2.0 Era. Jian Xu. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.