Page 104 - Feasibility Study of New Media Technology on Constructing Online Public Sphere

Feasibility Study of New Media Technology
on Constructing Online Public Sphere

to a change in the local government’s decision-making and represented various dynam-

ics and forms of public participation in local development. It stands for the new coop-
eration between online activism and real-life movements. In this case study, I attempted
to explain the relationship between the government and the media companies from dif-
ferent aspects.
Finally, cases of forced house demolition and relocation are piling up one on top

of another. It is one of the consequences of China’s rapid economic development, but it
is also an essential matter concerning urbanization which requires urgent resolution. A
number of families suffered from either local government or some enterprise’s violent

eviction and house demolition. The Yihuang incident is a typical example of violent
house demolition which attracted extensive attention for a long time. Government
authorities and demolition workers came to the home of the Zhong family, and three
family members climbed to the roof and burnt themselves with gasoline in protest. In
the dissemination of this incident, Weibo played a vital role. This book has analysed the

existing materials on the incident, retrieved the development history, investigated the
relationship between the turning point of this incident and the internet, and discussed
the causes of the prompt solution of this specific incident. After several severe inci-

dents, the government changed the original policy from ‘administrative forced eviction
and demolition’ to ‘judicial forced eviction and demolition’ in which the decision-mak-
ing is given to a local or higher court instead of local government. Since the court is not
a stakeholder in the forced demolition cases, it seems that the victims can finally gain
justice. However, it does not stop tragedies of people losing their lives or property in

the eviction process. It is typical of the cases that the public pays continuous attention
but has not sought a solution. Analysis of these cases can help explain the interaction
between the public and media, which means the technological empowerment for the

public when they are using the online platforms. In this case study, I also proposed the
dangers of online rumours and fake information in media space.
In the chapters of three case studies, I analyse the cases in a thorough way and
discuss the interaction between the media companies, netizens and government depart-
ments in real-life situations. I also look into the cases from different stakeholders’ per-

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