Social media networks and the distribution of news in China

Abstract

The broader aim of this thesis is to uncover the ways in which news is disseminated on major social media platforms in China. In China, both government and corporations exert their control over the distribution of news on the platforms, however, a detailed account of how they work together is largely absent. To address this gap, this thesis studies four of the key platforms namely WeChat, an instant text and voice messaging service, Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like micro-blogging service and Yukou and Tudou, two video sharing sites whose companies have recently merged. Since little is known about how news is distributed on social media platforms, this research analyses each network for the affordance characteristics of news sharing. I argue that the technical affordances of these Chinese social media platforms, including their structure and interface design, affect users’ distribution of news in a nuanced way, and these affordances are shaped by the interests of the government and internet companies. The research provides a systematic overview of the news sharing by social media by asking: What are the technical affordances of these social media platforms? How do the state and corporate interests shape the social media affordances of news distribution in China? How do these social media platforms differ from or relate to each other in terms of the affordances of news sharing? To provide detailed analysis in relation to these questions, the thesis adopts a political economy theoretical framework, and in particular, through the lens of the affordances of technology. It is based on detailed case studies of the platforms, supported by in-depth interviews, industry analyses and data related to the different social media forms, academic expert opinion, and how the news in China is distributed on these platforms. In addition, the research uses a survey to track individual social media usage by 1000 younger middle class members, as a selective sample of the millennial internet population in China. While there is a growing body of literature on social media and news distribution in the West, only a limited amount of study has been undertaken in China, with a small number of academics focusing on one or two platforms. There has been a conspicuous lack of a comprehensive research, especially through the lens of platform affordances. This kind of approach has been similarly lacking in English speaking research. The research results identify how Chinese social media platforms influence news flow through software design features. The wider significance of the study is that it can provide international media scholars with a better understanding of these Chinese platforms. Nonetheless, certain factors, such as the lack of transparent data from social media companies, pose significant challenges to this kind of research, although this may be addressed by emerging research methods.