Abstract
Regional discrimination is a significant social issue that leads to divided societies. In China, people from Henan Province, who are verbally abused by non-Henan users on the Internet, are often victims of regional discrimination. This article presents a case study of Chinese Internet users’ discriminatory practice against Henan people in the commentary sections of two major Chinese news portals – Tencent and NetEase. By advancing an affective critical discourse analysis approach with the assistance of content analysis, I analysed user comments on news reports that covered a news event relating to regional discrimination against Henan people. The analysis showed that Internet users’ discriminatory practice was notably amplified by the locative IP-address function in NetEase’s commentary section. The research findings shed light on the interplay between Internet users’ discursive practice and the technological architecture of interactive digital platforms in the context of regional discrimination.
Highlights
Across the world, discrimination has always been a significant issue influencing the harmony of societies
Regional discrimination is apparent in China, and people from Henan Province, who are stereotypically portrayed by the media as ‘dishonest’, due to their disadvantageous socio-economic position, are commonly the victims
This article has uncovered how the locative design of interactive digital platforms influences Internet users’ discursive practice, highlighting the pivotal role the IP-address function plays in regional discrimination occurring in the commentary sections of Chinese news portals
Summary
Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies XX(X). Taking the form of conflicts between citizens themselves, regional discrimination is not of great concern to the government and is, not targeted by the censorship In this way, the role of news portals becomes salient in the shaping of regional discrimination in Chinese digital culture. Focusing on the technological architecture of news portals, this article explores the process through which Chinese Internet users’ discriminatory practice against Henan people is affected in the commentary sections of these sites. To this end, I present a case study, analysing the user comments beneath the coverage of a news incident retrieved from two major news portals – Tencent and NetEase. The findings shed light on how technological architecture modulates Internet users’ discursive practices
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