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UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Talking to Strangers UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Talking to Strangers: Chinese Youth and Social Media A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology by Tricia Wang Committee in charge: Professor Richard Madsen, Chair Professor Benjamin Bratton Professor Barry Brown Professor Jim Hollan Professor Isaac Martin Professor Christena Turner 2013 Copyright Tricia Wang, 2013 Some rights reserved, refer to Appendix E. SIGNATUR E PAG E The Dissertation of Tricia Wang is approved, and is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: Chair University of California, San Diego 2013 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page .................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents .............................................................................................. iv List of Tables .................................................................................................... ix List of Figures ................................................................................................... x Dedication ......................................................................................................... xi Epigraph............................................................................................................ xii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................... xiv Vita….. ............................................................................................................. xvi Biographical Notice........................................................................................... xvii Abstract of the Dissertation ............................................................................... xix Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................... 1 1.1 Mr. Lee’s Scooter .................................................................................. 1 1.1.1 The Circle of Students ...................................................................... 3 1.2 Emotional Expression and the Situational Self ....................................... 6 1.3 Social Shifts That Laid the Groundwork for an Elastic Self .................... 11 1.4 The Internet Comes to China ................................................................. 17 1.5 Going Online for Personal Interests, Not Political Reasons .................... 22 1.6 An Identity Revolution .......................................................................... 25 1.7 Outcomes of an Elastic Self ................................................................... 28 1.8 Project Outline ....................................................................................... 32 Chapter 2 An Elastic Self ................................................................................. 34 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 34 2.2 Chinese Identity: A Review ................................................................... 36 2.3 Online Identity: A Review ..................................................................... 43 2.3.1 Western Youth ................................................................................ 44 2.3.2 Chinese Youth ................................................................................. 49 2.4 Elastic Self ............................................................................................ 55 2.5 Who is Engaging in an Elastic Self?....................................................... 59 2.6 Conditions in Which an Elastic Self Flourishes ...................................... 61 2.6.1 Modes of Interaction ........................................................................ 61 2.6.2 Affordances of Informal Modes ....................................................... 62 2.6.3 Platforms are Dominant in One Mode .............................................. 66 2.7 Three Phases of an Elastic Self .............................................................. 71 iv 2.7.1 Benefits of a “Phase” Perspective .................................................... 77 2.7.2 Links to Simmel’s Theories on Web of Group Affiliations and Secrecy ......................................................................................... 78 2.8 Conclusion............................................................................................. 81 Chapter 3 Methods ........................................................................................... 84 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 84 3.2 Where I Went ........................................................................................ 84 3.3 Who I Spent Time With ......................................................................... 87 3.3.1 Migrant Lives .................................................................................. 87 3.3.2 Talking to Students after the Wenzhou Train Accident .................... 88 3.4 Nuts and Bolts ....................................................................................... 91 3.4.1 Youth .............................................................................................. 91 3.4.2 Other Groups of People ................................................................... 93 3.5 How I Conducted the Fieldwork ............................................................ 95 3.6 How I Spent Time with Participants ....................................................... 99 3.7 How I Documented My Fieldwork ......................................................... 105 3.8 Techniques I Used to Gather Data and How I Analyzed It ..................... 109 3.8.1 Avoiding “High Theory” ................................................................. 109 3.8.2 Avoiding Politics ............................................................................. 109 3.8.3 Avoiding Technology ...................................................................... 110 3.8.4 Sensitivity to Word Choice .............................................................. 111 3.8.5 Critical Role of Research Assistants ................................................ 113 3.8.6 Methodological Implications of a Modes of Interaction Framework ................................................................................... 115 3.9 Conclusion............................................................................................. 118 Chapter 4 Explortatory Phase: From Formal to Informal Modes ....................... 120 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 120 4.2 Lonely Youth ......................................................................................... 120 4.3 Chinese Emotional Culture: A Review ................................................... 122 4.4 Anonymity on the Internet: A Review .................................................... 129 4.5 Meet the Characters: Liuliu, Taoge, Sammy, and Mimi.......................... 130 4.6 The Stories ............................................................................................ 132 4.6.1 Liuliu, the Boy Who Doesn’t Need a Sex Change ............................. 132 4.6.1.1 A Background on “Homosexuality” in China ............................ 135 4.6.1.2 Finding Online Gay Communities ............................................. 137 4.6.1.3 No Longer in a Village ............................................................. 140 4.6.2 Tao Ge, the QQ Flirt ........................................................................ 147 4.6.2.1 Boarding School Life ................................................................ 148 4.6.2.2 A Future that Depends on the Gaokao ....................................... 153 4.6.2.3 College Life .............................................................................. 157 4.6.2.4 Tao Ge Looks to QQ and Beyond ............................................. 162 4.6.3 Sammy, the Fandom Searcher ........................................................... 171 4.6.3.1 Joining Circles on Douban ........................................................ 174 v 4.6.3.2 Discovering Sexuality ............................................................... 178 4.6.3.3 Deleting a Profile ...................................................................... 180 4.6.4 Mimi, an Ideal Party candidate ........................................................ 186 4.6.4.1 Joining the Communist Party .................................................... 187 4.6.4.2 A Secret Weibo Account ........................................................... 192 4.6.4.3 Discovering Hidden Information ................................................ 194 4.6.4.5 And Discovering More ............................................................. 197 4.6.4.6 Joining the Party as a Cynic and a Copier.................................. 200 4.6.4.7 Maintaining Two Identities ........................................................ 205 4.6.4.8 A Less Cynical Mimi ................................................................ 208 4.7 Analysis ................................................................................................. 211 4.7.1 Discovering Hidden Information, Whether It Is About Sex or Politics ........................................................................................
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