2nd International Conference on Social Science and Technology Education (ICSSTE 2016)

Internet culture--a new way for ideological and political education of university students

Mao Yang Yan Wang University of Electronic Science and Technology University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan 610054 of China, Chengdu, Sichuan 610054

Abstract— At current internet has been an series of cultural activities carried out on the indispensable part in university students’ life. basis of the internet platform; the internet Internet culture changes and influences culture in a broad sense is the extension and contemporary university students’ ideology, development of traditional culture under new behavior pattern and moral concept and has circumstances and conditions; it is people’s a far-reaching influence on the ideological reflection and projection of real life in the and political education of university students, internet world; it is the sum total of human and internet cultural environment has also beings’ manifestation in thinking, psychology, been an important component of university language, morality and behavior which relies on students’ ideological and political education real life but is different from the reality; it is a environment. Compared with traditional part of modern people’s cultural activities. campus culture, internet culture has its own 2. Features of internet culture features. Although it has its own limitation during the ideological and political education (1) Openness and popularity process of university students, it is also a new The characteristic that internet culture is based groping way. on network technique determines internet culture is featured by openness. The overall Key words-Internet culture, Ideological virtual internet has no specific restrictions and and political education, New way under normal circumstances it will be wide-open and information sharing, which is a fundamental purpose of internet culture and I. INTRODUCTION does help to knowledge accumulation and the 1. Definition of internet culture information sharing of individual development. Internet culture is the material and spiritual So people’s individual development and event activities which come into being based on march will not be subject to geographical information, network technique and network limitations and timeliness any more. Instead, platform and resources etc and the achievements individual perception and practical activities are they bring about. Internet culture can be divided extended to the entire internet population and all into the internet culture in a narrow sense and parts of the world which possess internet, thus the internet culture in a broad sense. The affecting the entire human society, and in turn internet culture in a narrow sense refers to a influencing and boosting the promotion of the need of individual development and

© 2016. The authors - Published by Atlantis Press 1045 individuation in the entire human society. the original views will be driven to an extreme. The openness of internet culture also determines The extremity of internet culture can maximize the strong popularity of internet culture which is both “goodness” and “badness”. genuine “grass-root culture”. Such kind of explosive interpersonal communication II. Network cultural environment is an characteristic leads to internet culture’s lack of important component of university students’ centrality. ideological and political education (2) Virtual interaction and compensatory environment. property With the rapid development of digital The subject on internet is different from the information age, internet has been an subject in reality and its existence is completely indispensable part of people’s life in modern virtual. It may correspond to a certain person, society. The function of internet is expanding organization or even a subject which cannot be and its seepage force is deepening. For today’s concrete in real life. In cyber world all subjects universities and colleges, internet culture is a can have open bilateral communication in no necessary medium and area for the ideological need of a real identity. That is the virtual and political education of universities. The interaction of internet. It is due to the virtual internet culture in universities and colleges has interaction of internet that people can cast diversified forms and functions including traditional rules and requirements aside, express thought guidance, public opinion guidance and them boldly, show their advantages, weaken atmosphere creation etc. their own weaknesses, realize their value and satisfy themselves through communication and 1. Internet culture is a part of modern assistance, and even achieve the power and campus culture. influence which are hard to be obtained in actual Internet culture is based on campus culture and life. Thus another important feature of internet is the product of the network virtualization of culture comes into being. That is the campus culture. Meanwhile with the support of “compensatory property”. internet, internet culture breaks the time and (3) Timeliness, variability and extremity spacial limits of campus culture and greatly The clustering of the cultural subject and the extends the timeliness and effectiveness of informatization of the cultural carrier determine campus culture. Take University of Electronic internet culture has timeliness and variability at Science and Technology of China as an example. outside. Internet culture also has extremity. As At the early period when internet was spread to mentioned before, internet is featured by the university, students established a campus openness and timeliness. A huge number of BBS at the first time which are called “Infinite people can enter into a discussion topic within a Dormitory Power” and “Network Love Story” moment. However, most people have a herd respectively. The former is based on students’ mentality which will result in that users’ original dormitories and the latter has all the students of opinions, no matter what kind they are, are the university as the subject, and thus an unique likely to be amplified during group discussion BBS culture comes into being. A survey and anxious for more prominence. Under conducted by the school in November 2015 constant expression and strengthening, most of shows that 83.59% students keep an eye on hot

1046 domestic and foreign news and emergencies on students’ way of thinking and behavior pattern the internet, and they will discuss with people unconsciously. Although internet culture has its around them. That means students narrow the own limitations to some extent, it is really a new space with social contract via internet. way for the ideological and political education 2. Network culture environment possesses of university students. high involvement. 1. Students are more active on internet and With the progress of network technology and internet culture gradually becomes the major the popularization of internet, network culture ground for the ideological and political environment also changes greatly, and thus education of university students. affects ideological and political education. Researches have shown that at current internet Traditional ideological and political education has been the chief channel for university stays at interpersonal face-to-face students to get information while mobile phone communication or communication by telephone is students’ first terminal choice. Over 80% or mail. It gradually steps toward the students’ net age is longer than 5 years and they communication via internet. Influence the object form the habit of surfing the internet regularly; of education with new means and “we media”; they are so-called senior netizens. In 2015 the university students’ study and life are enriched Communist Youth League Beijing municipal and colorful. As for the ideological and political Party committee conducted a survey together education work of universities and colleges, the with a research group. The survey report reveals means and methods are innovated and the that for the students of the universities in working idea and space are expanded, which Beijing, 74.67% of them use most of their spare facilitates the new improvement and time to surf the internet; the proportion of the development of the object, means, psychology students who use over two hours to surf the and measures of ideological and political internet is 70.3%, among which the proportion education. of the students who use about three hours to surf the internet is 17.9%; students use about four III. Network culture education is a new way hours to surf the internet occupy 10.7%; for the ideological and political education of students use five hours or more to surf the university students. internet occupy 13.1%. In the face of such an active university student group on internet, With the further deepening of the influence of future direction of development is to carry out internet on individuals’ lifestyle, network ideological and political education via internet technology has extended to practical range of culture and internet culture also becomes the services which combines applications like cloud major ground for the ideological and political computing, internet of things and big data from education of university students. personalized applications based on information 2. The carriers of the ideological and political acquisition and communication of entertainment education of university students under needs. The internet culture arising on such internet culture are diversified. technological basis provides university students Generally speaking students have more energy not only a new way of cultural transmission and and time; they have a strong demand for communication but also a new educational exciting games and information exchange and method, which affects and changes university

1047 also take delight in trying new things. With the they will choose to accept a few based on their maturity of “we media” technology, various own experience; 10.85% students think they are interesting app and games satisfy their needs greatly influenced. So universities can combine and offer them a platform and vent for their traditional ideological and political education desire, and meanwhile make students become and online ideological and political education important information producers, participants according to the features of internet culture, and transmitter. They get into the habit of taking cover all students through ways which can pictures, writing, sharing and transmitting satisfy students’ needs and ideological information at any time. A lot of platforms and characteristics, lead students to participate and carriers based on students’ varied interests, innovate creatively, provide diversified platform hobbies and regions come into being. According of participation, highlight the ideological level, to the understanding of the students of the the specialty, the interaction and the originality school where the author belongs, the first thing and realize all-round education. students do on internet is to watch movies and play games; the second is to use social software Acknowledgements including QQ, microblog and wechat etc; both Topic: A research of the influence of a changing aspects account for nearly 2/3. The proportion network environment on the ideological and of the students who use the internet to retrieve political education of university students and browse news and acquire learning materials A fundamental research funding project of 2015 is over 50%; more than 1/3 of the students will Fundamental Research Funds for the Central shop online. Universities No.: ZYGX2014J120 3. The coverage of the ideological and political education of university students is Reference wider and the timeliness is stronger under [1] Zhichao Chen, Qianshen Wang, Use internet culture. advanced network culture to guide the At current with the progress and development of ideological and political work of university network technology, traditional teaching mode students [J], Journal of Ideological has changed to a new teaching mode supported Theoretical Education, vol. 03, 2012. by technologies like internet, videos and [2] Xiaorong Shen, Huaijie Li, An exploration interactive platforms; traditional ideological and and analysis of the network culture political education is also enlarged to cover a construction of universities and colleges wider space from classrooms and second and the ideological and political education classrooms, and the time thread is shortened. of university students [J], Studies in

Ideological Education, vol. 10, 2011. IV .Conclusion [3] Xiaobai Sheng, Basic features of network A questionnaire survey on the ideological and culture [N], Guangming Daily, January 20, political education of university students 2008 (006). conducted by the School of Physical Electronics [4] Bo Zhou, Xiaonian Liu, Cultivate in November 2015 demonstrates that 74.06% high-quality “digital citizens”--a survey students think they will be affected by internet report on strengthening university students’ expressions and opinions to some extent, but internet literacy construction [N], April 30,

1048 2015 (005). sleeping become major recreation [N], [5] Baocheng Zhang, A study of the current China Youth News, May 4, 2015. situation of internet management and [7] A questionnaire survey of the ideological countermeasures in China [D], Inner and political education of university Mongolia: Inner Mongolia Normal students University, pp. 1-29, 2013. [6] A survey of 800,000 students’ characteristics: surfing the internet and

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