Networked Public Social Media and Social Change in Contemporary China

This book coins the term “Networked Public” to describe the active social actors in new media ecology. The author argues that, in today’s network society, Networked Public Communication is different than, yet has similarities with, mass communication and interpersonal communication. As such it is the emergent paradigm for research. The book reviews the historical, technological and social context for the rising of Networked Public, analyzes its constituents and characteristics, and discusses the categories and features of social media in China. By analyzing abundant cases from recent years, the book provides answers to the key questions at micro, meso and macro-levels, including how information flows under regulation in the process of Networked Public Communication; what its features and models are; what collective action strategies  and“resistance culture”have been developed as a result of Internet regulate; the nature of power games among Networked Public, mass media, political forces and capital, and the links with the development of Chinese civil society.

Introduction: the emergence of networked public communication.- Context of Networked Public Communication.- Networked users: the subject of networked public communication.- Social media: tools and space for networked public communication.- The flow of information: features and models of networked public communication.- Resistance to Regulation: Group behavior and culture in networked public communication.- Power Game: Networked public communication and social transition.