The Growing Clout of Online Public Opinion in China: New Media as a Platform for Advocacy and a Tool for Choice and Change

Abstract

At 513 million people, China has the world’s largest Internet user base More than 300 million people use it from blogs to social-networking sites to microblogs and other online communities. Online media interaction is a huge phenomenon in the world’s second largest economy. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is one of the most dynamic sectors in China, and online media interaction is a huge phenomenon. New Media (Internet) has emerged as an important platform for citizens to obtain and share news, and participate in social affairs. This paper adopts a case study approach to examine why Chinese citizens go online to discuss, seek advice and offer guidance on social issues, as compared to traditional petitioning channels. China’s online users are not only the most active when compared to users worldwide but also have multiple social media accounts. Two case studies have been selected: ‘Yihuang’s Self-Immolation’ and ‘My father is Li Gang’. Political-Economic Theory was applied to the final data analysis in order to examine and compare the nature of online citizen expressions versus the traditional appeal system. In the context of uneven economic development and ongoing social changes, the fact that Chinese citizens are keener on online expressions, appears to be influenced by a number of factors; primarily that the State-run media is subjected to censorship. Furthermore, the baffling ineffectiveness of the traditional petitioning system and the obvious advantage of Internet communication, make online media the preferred choice.