Page 21 - Feasibility Study of New Media Technology on Constructing Online Public Sphere

Chapter 1. Introduction

been seen, the Party leaders emphasised ‘the value of cooperation rather than confron-

tation and calling for a new relationship between media and authority’ (de Burgh, Zeng
and Mi, 2012, p. 1013). Since China is going through a critical period of political and
economic transformation, the public has also been entrusted with the responsibility
to supervise the performance of government departments and to take part in the deci-
sion-making process. This research aims to investigate the relationship among the new

media, public participation and the government’s policy in China.
The scope of this research falls within the period between the BBS and the Weibo
age. The three case studies are from the years 2003 to 2010, in which the relationship

among the government, media and the public has experienced a noticeable change in
process. Here, the evolution of ICTs has mitigated the government’s attitude towards
the media market, from one of complete control to a relatively open and adaptive ap-
proach. The media itself, especially the internet companies, have gradually moved to a
new media place, striving to deal with the government’s control while ensure self-inter-

est. Secondly, the interaction between media and the public has experienced a substan-
tial change, too. Internet media companies seek active engagement and support from
the public to generate profit. As the public has begun to master new technologies, the

frequency of using ICT products for expression increases day by day. As a result, the
appeal for an open and democratic public environment for participation has emerged.
Plenty of cases have shown that the recent situation between the Chinese government
1
and the public was not always a zero-sum game . Both parties have made use of ICTs
to seek a balance between the government and society. Consequently, the leadership of

the Communist Party and the legitimacy of the central government can be guaranteed,
and Chinese citizens get to live in a more democratic society.
An increasing number of cases have received extensive attention through dissemi-

nation via the internet, and wide public participation has influenced the final settlement
of these cases to a large extent. However, what exactly the process is and how it pro-
motes China’s social progress remains unclear, which leads to my research question:
1 A zero-sum game is a situation in which the potential gain for all players combined remains constant.
No augmentation or loss can occur and the gain is distributed between the competitors such that a win for
one player is a loss for the other(s).

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