Tweeting, re-tweeting, and commenting: microblogging and social movements in China

Abstract

With increased research attention being paid to the relationship between information and communication technologies (ICTs) and social movements during the Arab Spring, the role of new and social media in promoting social movements in China is examined in depth. Focusing on the most popular social media platform in China, Weibo, this research includes a review of new scholarship about ICTs and social movements, analysis of Chinese grassroots social movements organized via Weibo, and the limitations of these social movements. The guiding question here is how individual Chinese citizens strategically used Weibo to facilitate social movements.

Keywords:

• ICTs
• social movements
• Weibo
• China

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Dr. Clemencia Rodríguez and Dr. Merlyna Lim for their suggestions, and Dr. Ann Hamilton and Ms. Moira Ozias for their assistance in editing.

Notes on contributor

Yang (Vivian) Liu is a Doctoral Candidate at Department of Communication, University of Oklahoma. She specializes in intercultural/international communication and pays close attention to China's interaction with the world in the context of globalization.