Wang, Jufang (2019) China’s public opinion control in the platform era : news, media power, and state-platform collaborative governance. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

The rise of Chinese digital media platforms (e.g., WeChat, Weibo and Toutiao) in the news sphere has transformed China’s news landscape. These private platforms are increasingly sitting at the centre of news production, distribution and consumption, leading to a “platform-centered news ecosystem” in China. Such an ecosystem has brought profound changes to China’s media power structure: platforms have become the “battlefields” for shaping public opinion and the central gatekeepers and governors of online news and information; self-media (individual news producers) rise as important news actors; state-controlled news organizations are in relative decline. Based on in-depth interviews with senior people from Chinese platforms and news organizations (some of whom are also self-media operators) and document analysis (e.g. of government regulations, official documents from platforms, media outputs, and third-party reports), this thesis has concluded that, despite bringing some challenges to the Chinese party-state’s public opinion control, platforms turn out to be an effective Internet governance tool, rather than a disruptive force, to the state. Given that Chinese platforms are not only passively cooperating, but also actively collaborating with the party-state in public opinion control and wider contexts, this thesis proposes a “collaborative governance” model in relation to China’s public opinion control. Under this model, the Chinese party-state only needs to target and control a number of major platforms, which have the technological capabilities and surveillance resources to enforce Internet governance on behalf of the state.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	J Political Science > JQ Political institutions (Asia, Africa, Australia, Pacific Area, etc.) P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General)
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Zhongguo gong chan dang -- Public opinion, Digital media -- China, Internet governance -- China, Press -- China, Press and politics -- China
Official Date:	September 2019
Dates:	Date Event September 2019 UNSPECIFIED
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Garde-Hansen, Joanne ; Wright, David, 1972-
Format of File:	pdf
Extent:	322 leaves : colour illustrations.
Language:	eng

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