The development of digital media provides audiences easier access to information from multiple sources. In the past decades, with the popularization of the internet, the emergence of social media...Show moreThe development of digital media provides audiences easier access to information from multiple sources. In the past decades, with the popularization of the internet, the emergence of social media and the fast increasing number of users have become a social phenomenon around the world. In particular, China as a country with its isolated internet has developed its own social media platforms which under a system with strong state control and censorship. Apart from strong state control, Chinese social media platforms gradually take the role of reflecting public opinions through an online discussion about political or social issues. As one of the largest social media platforms in China, Sina Weibo plays a remarkable role in online discussion and governmental supervision. This thesis particularly analyzes Sina Weibo’s role in an online social discussion regarding homosexuality and homosexual people in China, in order to understand the role of Sina Weibo in online discourses regarding a moral issue, and to further investigate the implication for online social discussions. The role taken by Sina Weibo can thus be argued as “strategic positions to survive”, based on the relation with the users and Chinese authorities. In this case, a power relation among Weibo users, Chinese authorities and Weibo users could also be conducted from research findings.Show less
It has been five years since Xi Jinping introduced the concept of ‘Chinese Dream’ and it is still a hot topic, also online. While some scholars regarded this new concept of the Chinese Dream as a...Show moreIt has been five years since Xi Jinping introduced the concept of ‘Chinese Dream’ and it is still a hot topic, also online. While some scholars regarded this new concept of the Chinese Dream as a positive development for China, others considered it as a rather strategic narrative of the CCP to influence the image of China domestically and international (Boc, 2015; Callahan, 2015; Mahoney, 2013; Lu, 2015; Wang, 2016). However, most academic researches concluded that the concept ‘Chinese Dream’ is rather vague and does not imply for who it is meant (Li, 2015). As bloggers are also a part of the ‘citizen intellectuals’ that can reshape the future of China, I analyzed the blogposts of common users on the microblogging platform Sina Weibo and how they perceive this concept (Callahan, 2013; Gleiss, 2015). This thesis concludes that even though the government gives space to talk about the Chinese Dream, the narrative online is still lead by the Chinese government rhetoric.Show less
This thesis examines the utilization behaviour of Sina Weibo by environmental NGOs within China. Within this thesis, qualitative research is being performed in relation to the utilzation of the...Show moreThis thesis examines the utilization behaviour of Sina Weibo by environmental NGOs within China. Within this thesis, qualitative research is being performed in relation to the utilzation of the different communicative aspects of Sina Weibo by several contemporary Chinese environmental NGOs. This is done through the emperical analysis of micro-blogposts. In addition, these results are furthermore examined within the context of China's specific socio-poltical environment and in relation to their associated dynamics.Show less
