Between Disorder and Enlightenment, or Even Beyond It?The Significance of Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

Dr. Shishi Fang School of JournalismFudan University

6th August 2014Tampere, Finland

We make tools, You make them do.

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

The Rise of Problem: Suspend Comments!On 31st March 2012,300 million Sina Weibo users were officially informed that they were forbidden to comment on any information on Weibo during the next 3 days.

What is the matter? And how to understand it?

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

Research Perspective and the Method

— Sociology of knowledge as a theoretical perspective —Fragmentations VS the Whole Existence —The spread of rumor —Solve the problem of Functionalism — the researcher’s hidden point of view and the social power — theorize the a-theoretical things

— Questions — What was the social context when Sina Weibo was born in China? — What is construction of Sina Weibo? — What is the policy on China’s social media? — Do social media effect the power distribution in Chinese society?

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

Analysis Frame

The Objective Meaning

The Expressive Meaning

The Documentary Meaning

Social Context

Media Structure

Technology

Policy and Regulations

Media Habits

Behavior Analysis

Power Redistribution

Socialized Mass Media: the communicating position of Sina Weibo

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

The Panorama of Social Media in China

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina WeiboSource from: http://www.cr-nielsen.com/marketing/201203/26-1991.html.

What is the differences between the two?

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

The meaning of “Social Media” And “Social Network Site” (SNS) in China

—Social media focus on the information dissemination through the mass

—Social networks focus on interpersonal communication and group communication

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

Functions Characters Long Weibo Comment Forward Forward and Comment

Sina Weibo 140 Chinese Characters

Yes Display All Display All Yes

Twitter 140 English words

No Display top 5

Display 50+ No

The Functional differences between Sina Weibo and Twitter

2012 The Usage of Social Media in the World (million)

Social Media

Face book Sina Weibo

Twitter G+ Tencent Weibo

Pinterest

Registered Account

900 317 500 - 425 -

Active Account

845 129 127 90 67 21

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

The Social Context and Media Structureof Sina Weibo

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

Sina Web Portal

SNS Construction

Twitter Functions

Sina Celebrity Blog

V Group

Weibo.com

Weibo Community Policy

Media Weibo

Government Official Agency Weibo

Internet laws and regulations

Individuals

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

Knowledge Generation, Communication and Fermentation on Sina Weibo

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

The Complaint

The Technology Support

The Veiled Sarcasm

The Statement

As a record of behavior and an expression of the worldview, we need to combine the social context and history the two dimensions to understand this particular knowledge.

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

Therefore, the flow of speech on Sina Weibo is neither completely irrational chaos nor as beautiful as depicted like another Enlightenment.

—Firstly, the confrontations of mutual discourses on Sina Weibo make people access to critical thinking about China's state and government system.

—Secondly, although people on Weibo gabble a lot, the government uses the ban to warn that the so-called freedom of speech is only a limited freedom.

—Thirdly, people get to know more clearly that the right to speak is still the goal for the Chinese society to fight for.

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

Findings and Conclusion

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

—As Chinese largest social media, Sina Weibo achieves its media position as a “socialized mass media” and should fulfill its responsibility.

—The discourse practice on Sina Weibo is neither irrational disordered chaos nor the optimistic Enlightenment, but to some extent a mixed state between the two.

—The documentary meaning of this discourse practice is that through such a mixed behavior, we can synthesize some worldview (Weltanschauung) about modern China: —People begin to have some sense of criticism —The media both the mass media and the social media are still under the control of the government —Power of communication is chasing by different social forces.

The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

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The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

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The Knowledge Production on Chinese Social Media Sina Weibo

Acknowledgements!