Digital activism and collective mourning by Chinese netizens during COVID-19
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Netizens used online mourning and personalized narratives on social media to engage in political participation. Their actions influenced authorities, leading to policy adjustments and demonstrating the power of digital connective action.
Area Of Science
- Social Sciences
- Political Science
- Communication Studies
Background
- Dr Li Wenliang's final social media post became a focal point for public discourse.
- Netizen commentary on this post is analyzed as a form of political participation.
- The study frames online discussions as competitive discursive politics in cyberspace.
Purpose Of The Study
- To examine the discursive practices of netizens mourning Dr Li Wenliang.
- To analyze these practices as political participation and cyberspace discursive politics.
- To understand how online activities influence government policy and regime resilience.
Main Methods
- Discourse analysis applied to 4000 comments on Dr Li Wenliang's final social media post.
- Utilizing discourse theory to interpret online communication strategies.
- Identifying patterns of hidden protest and collective memory formation.
Main Results
- Netizens employed multi-semantic mourning for hidden protests, challenging authorities indirectly.
- Personalized narratives on microblogs created collective and counter-memory spaces.
- Online discursive activities prompted authorities towards policy adjustments and strategic rectification.
Conclusions
- Disorganized connective action, driven by affective citizens, holds significant political power.
- Digital activities can enhance regime resilience within the Chinese political system.
- Online mourning and narrative-building represent potent forms of political engagement.
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