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Power Game: Networked Public Communication and Social Transition

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Networked Public

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Abstract

Chapter 7 regard networked public communication as a tool and a field, from the viewpoint of “Power Game”. Networked public communication is not only information flow and exchange, but is also accompanied by sharing of meaning, negotiation and conflict, as well as by the formation, intensification and suspension of a relationship. In a macro social level, networked public always plays game against mass media, political power and market power, but the game models are various. We should not simply imagine it as the binary opposition like “state-to-society”, or “state-to-market”. Networked Public challenges the power of mass media, but at the same time cooperates and complements mass media. The political power not only regulates networked public communication, but also directly participates in it. Market forces pursue the power of “social marketing”, but should be cautious about the resistance from networked public. Information manipulation in networked public may win for a time, but it overdraws the public trust and social capital, which is of great danger. To sum up, from macro perspective, analysis of the power game may help us connect the specific events with the grand background of social change, making us ponder on many major issues of the Chinese society.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    “AC” is the abbreviation of “Anti-CNN”. Please check the case in part II of this chapter.

  2. 2.

    Deutsche Welle. “Tibet Issues triggered people’s war” (in Chinese). [2008-04-05]. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3206901,00.html.

  3. 3.

    Anti-CNN: About Us (in Chinese). [2009-04-12]. http://www.anti-cnn.com/about.

  4. 4.

    Jay Hauben. Happy 1st Birthday to China's Anti-CNN Web Site. (2009-03-18) [2009-04-01]. http://english.ohmynews.com/ArticleView/article_view.asp?no=384947&rel_no=1.

  5. 5.

    CIC: IWOM watch May Special Edition (Sichuan Earthquake) 2008. [2009-03-25]. http://www.slideshare.net/CIC_China/iwom-watch-may-special-edition.

  6. 6.

    YouTube: Queen Rania spoofs Letterman’s Top 10 while accepting award at YouTube Live. [2009-03-26]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPcw3fLeBHM.

  7. 7.

    The “hide and seek” incident was a case where a man was taken into police custody in Yunnan, PRC in 2009 then mysteriously died a few days later. He was reported to have died from “playing hide and seek,” though netizens claim someone beat him to death. The case was later closed with three suspects receiving different sentences.

  8. 8.

    Changzhou is a city in southern Jiangsu Province of China. Its population is nearly 5 million.

  9. 9.

    See related posts on hualongxiang.com: Slala. What’s the benefit of the construction of BRT??? Who are the beneficiaries!!! (in Chinese). (2008-10-06) [2009-04-18]. http://bbs.hualongxiang.com/thread-4724396-1-1.html; Mayor and Netizen. Why am I so enthusiastic and positive on the construction of BRT? (in Chinese). (2008-10-18) [2009-04-18]. http://bbs.hualongxiang.com/thread-4753979-1-1.html; Mayor and Netizen. To all netizen friends (in Chinese). (2008-05-01) [2009-04-18]. http://bbs.hualongxiang.com/thread-4396396-1-1.html.

  10. 10.

    Jeff Javis. Dell lies. Dell Sucks. (2005-06-21) [2009-04-01]. http://buzzmachine.com/2005/06/21/dell-lies-dell-sucks/.

  11. 11.

    Tourism Australia. About the campaign—Best Jobs in the world. [2014-05-01]. http://www.tourism.australia.com/campaigns/Global-Youth-about-the-campaign.aspx.

  12. 12.

    Nelf. J. Lever’s CMO Throws Down the Social Media Gauntlet. (2009-04-13) [2009-05-19]. http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=135943.

  13. 13.

    China Comment: “Reveal the inside stories of cyber hatchet man” (in Chinese), see the repost on xinhuanet.com (2009-12-11) [2010-07-01]. http://news.xinhuanet.com/newmedia/2009-12/11/content_12630732.htm.

  14. 14.

    Financial Times: “Legend of 1024–100-million-yuan black gold behind the cyber hatchet man” (in Chinese) (2008-09-05) [2009-04-18]. http://tech.sina.com.cn/i/2008-09-05/10542438275.shtml;

    China Youth Daily: “What is the bottom line of public opinion vortex initiated by Internet promoter” (in Chinese) (2008-11-07) [2009-04-18]. http://www.cyol.net/zqb/content/2008-11/07/content_2421586.htm.

  15. 15.

    Zhang, Lei. Invisible footprints of online commentators. Global Times. (2010-02-05) [2010-07-01]. http://www.globaltimes.cn/special/2010-02/503820.html.

  16. 16.

    French, H.W. As Chinese Students Go Online, Little Sister Is Watching. The New York Times. (2006-05-09) [2010-07-01]. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/09/world/asia/09internet.html.

  17. 17.

    Fareed, M. China joins a turf war. The Guardian. (2008-09-22) [2010-07-01]. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/22/chinathemedia.marketingandpr.

  18. 18.

    Bristow, M. China’s internet ‘spin doctors’. BBC News. (2008-12-16) [2010-07-01]. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7783640.stm.

  19. 19.

    China Youth Daily: The online real-name system shall start with Internet commentators.(in Chinese) See repost on www.cyol. net. (2010-05-19) [2010-07-01]. http://zqb.cyol.com/content/2010-05/19/content_3238436.htm.

  20. 20.

    Southern Weekend: “Shall Internet spokesman take the place of Internet commentators?” (in Chinese). See the reposts on “infzm.com”. (2009-10-21) [2010-07-01]. http://www.infzm.com/content/36279.

  21. 21.

    China Youth Daily: “First civil society blue book on is published: 2008 becomes the first year of the civil society in China”(in Chinese). See the reposts on news.china.com. (2009-01-19) [2010-07-02]. http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2009/01-19/1532791.shtml.

  22. 22.

    Chinanews.com: “Social blue book—civil society develops fast in China and the civil consciousness enhances significantly. (in Chinese) (2008-12-15) [2010-07-02]. http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2008/12-15/1487630.shtml.

  23. 23.

    Limin Bao: “Toward civil society” (in Chinese) published in China Youth Daily. See the repost on cyol.net. (2008-12-10) [2010-07-02]. http://www.cyol.net/zqb/content/2008-12/10/content_2465461.htm.

  24. 24.

    Shenzhen municipal government work repots in 2008 and 2010. Available on sz.gove.cn [2010-07-02]. http://www.sz.gov.cn/zfgb/2008/gb596/200810/t20081019_93406.htm; http://www.sz.gov.cn/zfgb/2010/gb702/201006/t20100628_1549139.htm.

  25. 25.

    Members of the research group include LIping Sun, Yuan Shen, Yuhua Guo, Jun Jin, Xing Ying and Xiangyang Bi. For details, please refer to the report by the Social Development Research Group under the Department of Sociology of Tsinghua University (2010a, b), Sun (2010).

  26. 26.

    Xinhuanet.com: “Authorized to release ‘National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009–2010)’” (in Chinese) (2009-04-13) [2010-07-02]. http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2009-04/13/content_11177077.htm.

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  1. Beijing, China

    Wei He

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  1. Wei He
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He, W. (2017). Power Game: Networked Public Communication and Social Transition. In: Networked Public. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-47779-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-47779-3_7

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