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Social Media and Contentious Action: The Use and Users of QQ Groups in China
[journal article]
Abstract This article presents an analysis of a netnographic study of QQ groups engaged in contentious activities in China. Informed primarily by semi-structured in-depth interviews of 34 participants and field observations through years of grounded research, the findings shed light on the communicative dyna... view more
This article presents an analysis of a netnographic study of QQ groups engaged in contentious activities in China. Informed primarily by semi-structured in-depth interviews of 34 participants and field observations through years of grounded research, the findings shed light on the communicative dynamics and mobilization strategies of QQ groups in nurturing contentious action and motivating mass participation in social protest. In-group communication stays highly focused on the respective mission of the groups, and it cultivates a sense of shared awareness conducive to collective action. There is also a noticeable contagion effect that transfers the spirit of contestation in terms of speech and action. Mobilizing dynamics in the QQ groups point to a hybrid model of activist-brokered networks, which crosscuts and interconnects elements in Bennett and Segerberg’s (2012) prototype of self-organizing networks and organizationally brokered networks. Group leaders and activists resort to a multi-layered mechanism to dissipate contentious information and to mobilize participation in protests.... view less
Keywords
China; social media; protest; collective behavior; mobilization; group dynamics; social network
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Interactive, electronic Media
Free Keywords
QQ groups; collective action; connective action; social protest
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 66-76
Journal
Media and Communication, 10 (2022) 4
Issue topic
Protesting While Polarized: Digital Activism in Contentious Times
ISSN
2183-2439
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed