The Web of Meaning : The Internet in a Changing Chinese Society

Taking off at the height of China’s socio-economic reforms in the mid-1990s, the Internet developed alongside the twists and turns of the country’s rapid transformation. Central to many aspects of social change, the Internet has played an indispensable role in the decentralization of political communication, the expansion of the market, and the stratification of society in China. Through three empirical cases – online privacy, cyber-nationalism, and the network market – this book traces how different social actors engage in negotiating the practices, social relations, and power structures that define these evolving institutions in Chinese society. Examining rich user-generated social media data with innovative methods such as semantic network analysis and topic modelling, The Web of Meaning provides a solid empirical base to critique the power relationships that are embedded in the very fibre of Chinese society. Cover Half Title Page Title Page Copyright Contents Acknowledgments Half Title Page Introduction Acknowledgments Introduction Network Privacy, Cyber-nationalism, and the Network Market The Internet as Discursive Fields: A Theoretical Framework The Internet for Critical Discourses: Method Outline of the Book The Web of Meaning: A New Approach 1. The Internet and Social Change in China New Cultural Subjects: Shamate and Diaosi Discursive Articulation Forms of Internet Sociality Internet Events Conclusion 2. The Rise of the Internet as Symbolic Space The Structural Transformation of the Cultural Realm The Rise of the Internet as Symbolic Space The Public Realm and Many Publics Symbolic Power and Symbolic Transactions Conclusion 3. Assembling Network Privacy Practices and Values of Privacy in Chinese Society Privacy as a Web of Meaning in the Mediated Lifeworld Privacy with Family Resemblance Privacy as Personal Boundary Privacy in Public Domains Privacy in Socio-Technological Domains Conclusion 4. Articulating Cyber-nationalism Cyber-nationalism in China Nationalism as Cultural Identification Nationalism as a Consequence of Neoliberal Development and Subgroup Identification Nationalism in Globalization Conclusion CHAPTER APPENDIX Methodology, Topic Groups, and Keywords from Sina Weibo Postings on the Diaoyu Islands Dispute 5. Constructing the Network Market Alibaba: The Bazaar on the Internet The Internet + : The Constellation of State and Market Mass Entrepreneurship and Mass Innovation: Production and Consumption Fake Goods: Lifeworld versus System World Conclusion Conclusion Discourses of Social Change From the Public Sphere to Discursive Fields References Index

Taking off at the height of China’s socio-economic reforms in the mid-1990s, the Internet developed alongside the twists and turns of the country’s rapid transformation. Central to many aspects of social change, the Internet has played an indispensable role in the decentralization of political communication, the expansion of the market, and the stratification of society in China.

Through three empirical cases – online privacy, cyber-nationalism, and the network market – this book traces how different social actors engage in negotiation of the practices, social relations, and power structures that define these evolving institutions in Chinese society. Examining rich user-generated social media data with innovative methods such as semantic network analysis and topic modelling, The Web of Meaning provides a solid empirical base to critiquefor critiquing the power relationships that are embedded in the very fibreer of Chinese society.

Taking off at the height of China’s socio-economic reforms in the mid-1990s, the Internet developed alongside the twists and turns of the country’s rapid transformation. Central to many aspects of social change, the Internet has played an indispensable role in the decentralization of political communication, the expansion of the market, and the stratification of society in China.

Through three empirical cases – online privacy, cyber-nationalism, and the network market – this book traces how different social actors engage in negotiation of the practices, social relations, and power structures that define these evolving institutions in Chinese society. Examining rich user-generated social media data with innovative methods such as semantic network analysis and topic modelling, The Web of Meaning provides a solid empirical base to critique for critiquing the power relationships that are embedded in the very fibre of Chinese society.

"Taking off at the height of China's socioeconomic reforms in the mid-1990s, the Internet developed alongside the twists and turns of the country's rapid transformation. Central to many aspects of social change, the Internet has played an indispensable role in the decentralization of political communication, the expansion of the market, and the stratification of society in China. Through three empirical cases--online privacy, cyber-nationalism, and the network market--this book traces how different social actors engage in negotiation of the practices, social relations, and power structures that define these evolving institutions in Chinese society. Examining rich user-generated social media data with innovative methods such as semantic network analysis and topic modeling, The Web of Meaning provides a solid empirical base for critiquing the power relationships that are embedded in the very fiber of Chinese society."-- Provided by publisher ''Exploring online privacy, cyber-nationalism, and the network market, this book details the crucial and evolving role played by the Internet in present-day China.''-- Site de l'éditeur