Page 182 - Feasibility Study of New Media Technology on Constructing Online Public Sphere

Feasibility Study of New Media Technology
on Constructing Online Public Sphere

lic policy and to ask for a more democratic society. The process of civic engagement

implies citizens sharing social responsibilities and achievements. Everyone has the op-
portunity to express their opinions, to maintain their self-interest and to contribute for
the sake of common good (ibid). Chen (2010) argued that the principle of public partic-
ipation is that vulnerable groups attempt to express opinions for their interests and take
part in government decision-making, which is another form of power distribution.

The relationship between the government and internet media companies

From March to June 2006, visits to Lian’s blog increased as the site became an
important source of Xiamen PX-related information, particularly in Xiamen itself

where the content was pasted across local chat rooms. A local resident, Wu Xian, set up
a QQ group called Return My Clear Water and Blue Sky in Xiamen. Due to the large
number of members, it was then divided to three different groups. With the growth of
members, the topic of the group interaction gradually transferred from the dangers of

PX to how to against the PX plant through practical acts.
On 27 and 28 May, Wu called for a public assembly and asked members to bring
banners with ‘Oppose PX, Protect Xiamen’ and yellow ribbons to the Xiamen market.
On 29 May, when Wu arrived at Xiamen market with his printed materials, he noticed

that there were three police cars nearby and an increase in the patrol force at the nearby
railway station. He also received a text message from one of QQ group members say-
ing ‘Police cars have already been despatched to Xiamen Mart’. He soon realised the
situation and went back home. Wu immediately posted a message in the QQ group –

‘Evacuate’. The public assembly failed (Liu and Zhou, 2007).
At 5 p.m. the same day, two plainclothes policemen visited Wu’s home and in-
quired about the assembly. On the afternoon of 30 May, Wu went to an internet cafe
and continued discussing the collective stroll with members of the QQ group. At 9 p.m.,

he was arrested and records of the chat seized. On 16 June, Wu was released and went
back home. He kept discussing the updates of the Xiamen PX plant incident and related
media reports in the QQ group, but he was not detained again (Liu and Zhou, 2007).
QQ is an instant messaging platform produced by Tencent, which is a private

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