Jin Xuelian received her master's degree in communication from Chongqing University and her PhD in 2015 from the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom which is a member of the Russell Group of leading UK research universities and a world top-100 university. She is a lecturer in journalism and communication in the College of Media and Arts at Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications. She is directing a project funded by the National Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science, directed five and co-directed three research projects funded by various funding bodies, and published seven journal articles. During her study in the UK, she received the Chinese Student Awards from the Great Britain-China Centre, UK and was elected as the Vice Chair of the PGN network of the Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association.
目录
Abstract Illustrations Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Aim, objectives, and rationale of the research 1.3 Research background 1.4 Limitations of existing literature 1.5 The structure of the thesis Chapter 2: Literature review 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Democracy and democratisation 2.2.1 Democratisation and favourable conditions 2.2.2 Democracy and its people 2.2.3 Political culture 2.2.4 Free markets, capitalism, and economic growth 2.2.5 Strong civil society and public sphere 2.2.6 Political participation and disengagement 2.2.7 The role of mass media 2.3 China's political tradition 2.3.1 Dominant political ideas 2.3.2 Persistence of authoritarian regimes 2.4 Contemporary China in the process of democratisation 2.4.1 Economic reform and opening-up policy 2.4.2 Political reform 2.4.3 Standard of living, urbanisation, education and media exposure 2.5 The development of the Internet in China Chapter 3: Participants' Internet use 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Internet use habit and online activities 3.3 Online news reading, information search, and lecture 3.3.1 Online news reading 3.3.2 Online information search 3.3.3 Online lecture 3.4 Between acquaintances and strangers 3.4.1 QQ 3.4.2 Renren 3.4.3 Weibo (Microblog) 3.4.4 Between acquaintances and strangers 3.5 University intranet and online forums 3.5.1 University Intranet 3.5.2 Online forums 3.6 Online and offline political participation, participation, and volunteering 3.7 Online travelling and movies 3.7,1 Online travelling 3.7.2 Online movies 3.8 Participant as a communicator 3.9 Civic talk Chapter 4: Participants' perceptions of the Internet 4 1 Introduction 4.2 Belief in the Internet's effect 4.2.1 The Internet's effect on Chinese society 4.2.2 Individual's effect through the Internet 4.2.3 The Internet's effect on individuals 4.3 Understanding of online comments and user-generated content..... 4.4 Disbelief in relevance of social problems 4.5 Attitude toward government corruption Chapter 5: Discussion 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Political disengagement and why 5.2.1 Introduction 5.2.2 Political disengagement 5.2.3 Political socialisation and irrelevance 5.2.4 Belief in a shock therapy and low political efficacy 5.2.5 Lack of civic organisations aRd activities 5.3 The power of disengagement and mass entertainment 5.3.1 Introduction 5.3.2 Who communicates to the participants online 5.3.3 The power of political disengagement and mass entertainment 5.3.4 Control or liberation: Huxley vs. the gadget theory 5.4 How do participants understand the influence of Intemet use on them? 5.4.1 Introduction 5.4.2 Why Internet users? . 5.4.3 The Intemet and better-informed citizens 5.4.4 Strangers and internal political efficacy 5.4.5 Belief in 'We' effect and external political efficacy 5.4.6 Summary 5.5 Beyond the lntemet and beyond politics: civic talk and civil society? 5.5.1 Introduction 5.5.2 Civic talk beyond the Internet 5.5.3 The rise of online civil society Chapter 6: Conclusions 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Reflective summaries 6.3 Scope and limitations of the research 6.4 Contributions of the research 6.5 Further research Appendices Appendix I: Interview Guide for In-Depth Interview Appendix II: Informed Consent Form Template for In-Depth Interviews Appendix III: An interview invitation letter Appendix IV: Informed Consent Form Template for Focus Group Appendix V:The researcher as an instrument Appendix VI: Youg's Internet Addiction Test Appendix VII: Other Internet use Bibliography
