Tracing Weibo (2009–2019): The commercial dissolution of public communication and changing politics

@article{Jia2020TracingW,
  title={Tracing Weibo (2009–2019): The commercial dissolution of public communication and changing politics},
  author={Lianrui Jia and Xiaofei Han},
  journal={Internet Histories},
  year={2020},
  volume={4},
  pages={304 - 332}
}
Abstract This paper delineates the historical evolution of Weibo as a social media platform (2009–2019). Rather than focusing on individual case event, we showcase how Weibo is enveloped by and also mutually shapes the push-and-pull forces of the platform’s commodification, political control and the Chinese internet ecology writ large. We argue that under these three forces, Weibo transformed from an online space for public discussions to a platform for marketing and advertising, and… 
View on Taylor & Francis
web.archive.org
8 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
2
Background Citations
5
Results Citations
1

8 Citations

Promote diligently and censor politely: how Sina Weibo intervenes in online activism in China
  • Mengying Li
  • Sociology
    Information, Communication & Society
  • 2021
While it is increasingly recognised that commercial social media platforms are not neutral tools for online activism, our knowledge of how such platforms concretely intervene in user activities and...
“Crazy Jack” and the “Gay CEO”: Visions, Entrepreneurship, and the Chinese State in the New Digital Economy
This article analyses the visions, careers, and companies of Jack Ma of Alibaba and Geng Le of Blue City. Jack Ma is a well-known business leader and visionary, whereas the less well-known Geng Le…
With greater popularity comes less responsibility: the popularity fallacy of Big Vs’ public participation on Sina Weibo
TLDR
The results of this study support the existence of the popularity fallacy for Big Vs and shed light on the understanding of the limited role played by social media in influencing public participation.
Forgotten passwords and Long-Gone exes: the life and death of Renren
Abstract Founded in 2005, Renren was a popular and leading Chinese social media network, especially among college students. However, after reaching its heyday in 2011, user growth dwindled and…
Reputational Assets and Social Media Marketing Activeness: Empirical Insights from China
We explore the linkages between social media marketing activeness and reputational assets on digital platforms with a unique sample of over 8,000 C2C sellers on both Taobao, China’s largest C2C…
Comparison of public discussions of gene editing on social media between the United States and China
TLDR
Suggestions were provided for policymakers and science communication practitioners to develop more effective communication strategies toward audiences in China and the U.S.
Construction safety and health hazard awareness in Web of Science and Weibo between 1991 and 2021
Exploring Weibo users' attitudes toward lesbians and gays in Mainland China: A natural language processing and machine learning approach

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 98 REFERENCES
Will the real Weibo please stand up? Chinese online contention and actor-network theory
Social media platforms have become key participants in Chinese political contention. Global media eagerly report on cases involving social media, often celebrating them as signs of political change.…
Weibo, WeChat, and the Transformative Events of Environmental Activism on China's Wild Public Screens
The emergence of China and the advent of social media are two events that rupture the world as it is and force a rethinking of activism and public spaces. Environmental protests in China, often…
Social Media and Collective Remembrance: The debate over China’s Great Famine on weibo
This paper provides one of the first studies on the role of social media in articulating individuals’ experiences and memories and (re-)shaping collective memory in contemporary China. It…
Platform transience: changes in Facebook's policies, procedures, and affordances in global electoral politics
: This paper presents two case studies of Facebook’s rapid changes relating to international electoral politics: the “I’m a Voter” affordance and the platform’s data and targeting capabilities. The…
Custodians of the Internet: Platforms, Content Moderation, and the Hidden Decisions That Shape Social Media
The idea of the uncontrolled, free-flowing, interconnected, utopian Internet narrative was once alive and well. Thinking about Y2K, the fear it sparked, watching YouTube videos without ads when the…
The platformization of cultural production: Theorizing the contingent cultural commodity
TLDR
Focusing on the production of news and games, the analysis shows that in economic terms platformization entails the replacement of two-sided market structures with complex multisided platform configurations, dominated by big platform corporations.
Weibo network, information diffusion and implications for collective action in China
This study examines information diffusion and the follower network among a group of Sina Weibo users interested in homeowner associations. Using social network analysis techniques, this paper…
Internet and self-regulation in China: the cultural logic of controlled commodification
This article examines the implementation of self-regulation in China’s internet sector through the forging of subtler control relationships between media corporations and the state. It uses three…
The impact of monetization on the public functions of Weibo
Operating as a commercial business with public functions, Weibo’s pursuit of profits has to be balanced with the demands of citizen users. This article examines how the dynamics between increasing…
The politics of ‘platforms’
Online content providers such as YouTube are carefully positioning themselves to users, clients, advertisers and policymakers, making strategic claims for what they do and do not do, and how their…
...
...