What We Can Learn About China from Research Into Sina Weibo
CHINESE SOCIAL MEDIA AS LABORATORY: WHAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT CHINA FROM RESEARCH INTO SINA WEIBO by Jason Q. Ng English Literature, A.B., Brown University, 2006 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts of East Asian Studies University of Pittsburgh 2013 fcomfort UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH THE DIETRICH SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This thesis was presented by Jason Q. Ng It was defended on April 9, 2013 and approved by Pierre F. Landry, Associate Professor, Political Science Ronald J. Zboray, Professor, Communication Mary Saracino Zboray, Visiting Scholar, Communication Thesis Director: Katherine Carlitz, Assistant Director, Asian Studies Center ii Copyright © by Jason Q. Ng 2013 iii CHINESE SOCIAL MEDIA AS LABORATORY: WHAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT CHINA FROM RESEARCH INTO SINA WEIBO Jason Q. Ng, M.A. University of Pittsburgh, 2013 Like all nations, China has been profoundly affected by the emergence of the Internet, particularly new forms of social media—that is, media that relies less on mainstream sources to broadcast news and instead relies directly on individuals themselves to share information. I use mixed methods to examine how three different but intertwined groups—companies, the government, and Chinese Internet users themselves (so-called “netizens”)—have confronted social media in China. In chapter one, I outline how and why China’s most important social media company, Sina Weibo, censors its website. In addition, I describe my research into blocked search terms on Sina Weibo, and explain why particular keywords are sensitive.
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