Page 5 - Feasibility Study of New Media Technology on Constructing Online Public Sphere

Abstract

China has seen an ever-accelerating development of information and communica-
tion technology (ICT), as well as a growing number of internet users, which has led sig-
nificant changes in information dissemination and public participation. This book aims
to investigate how ICT-mediated public participation influences China’s social develop-

ment. It firstly attempts to discuss whether the concept of public sphere can be applied
to China’s cyberspace by examining technological empowerment. It focuses on inves-
tigating in what ways and to what extent social media contribute to public participation
in China. More importantly, it aims at providing an in-depth analysis of the ICT-medi-

ated relationships among the three key elements: government, media and public. It then
explores the Chinese government’s evolving attitudes towards the new media platforms
and the ICT-mediated public participation these enable.
The scope of this book falls within the period between the BBS and the Weibo

age. Three data collection methods are employed: questionnaire survey, semi-structured
interviews and case studies. This book indicates the existence of a bottom-up com-
munication approach between the public and government in the Chinese context and
concludes that an online public sphere has already been formed in China’s cyberspace.

A triangular analytical framework of ‘government-media-public’ interaction has been
developed to explain the operational pattern of the Chinese quasi-public sphere. This
book provides an in-depth evaluation of the diverse forms of public participation in
modern China and is intended to shed light on what impact online public participation

can have in a socialist country.
Key words: public sphere, ICT-mediated public participation, ‘government-me-
dia-public’ interaction