Abstract
Emerging media afford netizens the opportunity to participate in critical civic discourse by collaboratively constructing and sharing previously inaccessible information across multiple platforms. This paper examined the communicative behaviors constituting the recent phenomenon of cyber vigilantism (human flesh search) in China, particularly how emerging media have been appropriated for online searches to hunt for personal information about social deviants to restore public morality. Our findings suggest that the identification of corrupt officials and circulation of their private data online amplified attention on their abuse of power and pressured the authorities toward greater accountability. Blogs, forums, and social networking sites helped support the expression of alternative public opinions. Novel mash-ups further stimulated the transmediation of political parodies that challenged state discourse across video-sharing sites. This article concludes with implications and recommendations for critical and comparative research toward a broadened and culturally nuanced notion of civic participation.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 471-487 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Chinese Journal of Communication |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2010 |
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Keywords
- Civic participation
- Collective intelligence
- Cyber vigilantism
- Emerging media
- Human flesh search
- Online social networks
- Transmediation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Communication
Cite this
Cyber vigilantism, transmedia collective intelligence, and civic participation. / Cheong, Pauline; Gong, Jie.
In: Chinese Journal of Communication, Vol. 3, No. 4, 2010, p. 471-487.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Cyber vigilantism, transmedia collective intelligence, and civic participation
AU - Cheong, Pauline
AU - Gong, Jie
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Emerging media afford netizens the opportunity to participate in critical civic discourse by collaboratively constructing and sharing previously inaccessible information across multiple platforms. This paper examined the communicative behaviors constituting the recent phenomenon of cyber vigilantism (human flesh search) in China, particularly how emerging media have been appropriated for online searches to hunt for personal information about social deviants to restore public morality. Our findings suggest that the identification of corrupt officials and circulation of their private data online amplified attention on their abuse of power and pressured the authorities toward greater accountability. Blogs, forums, and social networking sites helped support the expression of alternative public opinions. Novel mash-ups further stimulated the transmediation of political parodies that challenged state discourse across video-sharing sites. This article concludes with implications and recommendations for critical and comparative research toward a broadened and culturally nuanced notion of civic participation.
AB - Emerging media afford netizens the opportunity to participate in critical civic discourse by collaboratively constructing and sharing previously inaccessible information across multiple platforms. This paper examined the communicative behaviors constituting the recent phenomenon of cyber vigilantism (human flesh search) in China, particularly how emerging media have been appropriated for online searches to hunt for personal information about social deviants to restore public morality. Our findings suggest that the identification of corrupt officials and circulation of their private data online amplified attention on their abuse of power and pressured the authorities toward greater accountability. Blogs, forums, and social networking sites helped support the expression of alternative public opinions. Novel mash-ups further stimulated the transmediation of political parodies that challenged state discourse across video-sharing sites. This article concludes with implications and recommendations for critical and comparative research toward a broadened and culturally nuanced notion of civic participation.
KW - Civic participation
KW - Collective intelligence
KW - Cyber vigilantism
KW - Emerging media
KW - Human flesh search
KW - Online social networks
KW - Transmediation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79960925160&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=79960925160&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/17544750.2010.516580
DO - 10.1080/17544750.2010.516580
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:79960925160
VL - 3
SP - 471
EP - 487
JO - Chinese Journal of Communication
JF - Chinese Journal of Communication
SN - 1754-4750
IS - 4
ER -