Articlegreen2016

Online public deliberation in China: evolution of interaction patterns and network homophily in the Tianya discussion forum

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Social Media and Politics Political Theory and Democracy Public Relations and Crisis Communication

Abstract

Internet discussion platforms in China provide a hugely interesting and relevant source for understanding dynamics of online discussions in a unique context. Adopting the theoretical lens of public deliberation, this paper investigates the evolution of patterns of similar-minded and different-minded interactions over time on a Chinese online discussion forum. We analyse the content and reply networks of 18,000+ messages on four highly debated topics on the Bulletin Board System (BBS) platform Tianya. Findings provide nuanced evidence to the phenomenon of increased network homophily over time, mitigated in discussions where the difference between opinion sides is smaller, and participants have positive opinions. Providing empirical foundation for testing and refining the tenets of public deliberation in the unique socio-cultural and institutional environment of China, this study lays ground for future investigation on independent variables for understanding dynamics of online discussions, and for studies comparing cases across different contexts.

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References

2001Birds of a Feather: Homophily in Social Networks 1990The structural transformation of the public sphere: an inquiry into a category of bourgeois society 2014The theory of communicative action 1977Inequality and Heterogeneity: A Primitive Theory of Social Structure 2001Deliberative democracy and beyond: liberals, critics, contestations 1984Social psychological aspects of computer-mediated communication.2013How Censorship in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression 1987Between past and future eight exercises in political thought

Cited by

2021Citizen Participation and Machine Learning for a Better Democracy 2022Research Methods in Deliberative Democracy 2019The ‘authoritarian determinism’ and reductionisms in China-focused political communication studies 2018Formation and fragmentation within a networked public sphere: Social media debates on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2019Public Deliberation in Russia: Deliberative Quality, Rationality and Interactivity of the Online Media Discussions 2022

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