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Microblogs, Jasmine Revolution, and Civil Unrest: Reassessing the Emergence of Public Sphere and Civil Society in People's Republic of China

Microblogs, Jasmine Revolution, and Civil Unrest: Reassessing the Emergence of Public Sphere and Civil Society in People's Republic of China

Kenneth C. C. Yang, Yowei Kang
Copyright: © 2019 |Pages: 26
ISBN13: 9781522571131|ISBN10: 1522571132|EISBN13: 9781522571148
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-7113-1.ch055
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MLA

Yang, Kenneth C. C., and Yowei Kang. "Microblogs, Jasmine Revolution, and Civil Unrest: Reassessing the Emergence of Public Sphere and Civil Society in People's Republic of China." Censorship, Surveillance, and Privacy: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications, edited by Information Resources Management Association, IGI Global, 2019, pp. 1153-1178. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-7113-1.ch055

APA

Yang, K. C. & Kang, Y. (2019). Microblogs, Jasmine Revolution, and Civil Unrest: Reassessing the Emergence of Public Sphere and Civil Society in People's Republic of China. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Censorship, Surveillance, and Privacy: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 1153-1178). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-7113-1.ch055

Chicago

Yang, Kenneth C. C., and Yowei Kang. "Microblogs, Jasmine Revolution, and Civil Unrest: Reassessing the Emergence of Public Sphere and Civil Society in People's Republic of China." In Censorship, Surveillance, and Privacy: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications, edited by Information Resources Management Association, 1153-1178. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2019. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-7113-1.ch055

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Abstract

Weibo provides an alternative channel for many Chinese citizens to obtain non-censored news contents and share their opinions on public affairs. In this book chapter, the authors employed Jürgen Habermas's concept of public sphere to examine how Chinese Weibo users (i.e., microbloggers) make the most use of this social medium to form a public sphere to contest omnipresent state power. Habermas's analytical framework helps to better comprehend the role of social media and its interactions with other stakeholders in Chinese politics. The role of social media in shaping this less controlled sphere of political deliberation and participation was examined using a case study approach. The authors analyzed the Chinese Jasmine Revolution to discuss the interrelations among social media, civil society, state power, economic development, political process, and democratization in China. The case study identified Weibo's essential role as a device to bypass existing government censorship, to mobilize users, and to empower Chinese Internet users to engage in political activities to foster its nascent civil society.

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