Page 257 - Feasibility Study of New Media Technology on Constructing Online Public Sphere

Chapter 8. Conclusion

social networking platform in the virtual environment, Weibo enables communication

in various levels, including individual-to-individual, individual-to-organisation and
individual-to-public, which consolidates the collaborative effect between different par-
ties during public events. In the Yihuang case, Weibo served as not only the platform
for information dissemination, but also the channel for the victims to appeal for their
interests. It manifests a new form of public supervision: it works as a valid channel for

vulnerable groups to speak out and to fight for their civil rights; while numerous Weibo
users oversee a social event that draws the attention of powerful major traditional me-
dia. The joint effort of these two media forms increases the pressure of public opinion.

Consequently, Weibo is seen as the information source, opinion space, and spectator
venue for such an incident. It is likely that Weibo will continue to be used as an effec-
tive channel for citizens to interact with the government. Because it is a centralised
sphere that contains multifaceted public opinion, Weibo is also a platform for the gov-
ernment to learn more about the people.

Weibo provides a macro virtual space for information exchange. It originates from
the social networking activities in the physical space, and it also reacts to the physical
world depending on the result of public participation. As Yan (2014) indicated, recent

years have witnessed a leap in the development of internet users and a diverse trend in
netizens’ activities. Weibo is the preferred space for people to unburden personal feel-
ings. The scale of Weibo as a media market has already surpassed that of the traditional
media.
With the popularisation of more and more instant messaging services, SMS of-

fered by mobile service providers has almost withdrawn from the communication stage
in China. The main reason is that the state-owned SMS is not free, while the instant
messaging service through network connection is not only always free, but also accessi-

ble. Secondly, the instant messaging service is much more fashionable to large numbers
of users, and has the features of convenient operation, low technical requirement and
the effective communication process.
With the emergence of social media and highly-developed ICT, there has been a
transition process in which the public has transferred from initial message receivers to

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