英文摘要

How to “Take China as a Method” in Chinese Communication Research

Wu Yumin Yu Xiaofeng

Abstract：In this dialogue，Professor Wu Yumin focused on how to upgrade from the concept of “localization” of Chinese communication research to “taking China as a method”. He started with tracing the development of the academic rationale of “localization of communication” since the 1980s and then he pointed out that re-understanding the local from the perspective of communication is to test the theoretical model and methodology of communication in Chinese experience. The localization of communication shares the same logic with the “taking the world as a method”，which embodies the vision of dialogue between Chinese journalism and communication scholars and the world.

Professor Wu believed that there’re three kinds of anxieties，ideological anxiety，cultural identity anxiety，and intellectual methodology anxiety，which was why “taking China as a method” put forward and this transformation from localization of communication to taking China as a method reflects the improvement of cultural subject consciousness. “Taking China as a method” mainly refers to embodying the unity of history and logic in methodology，returning to China’s historical and current situations，considering China’s questions，and comprehending the thinking logic and discourse logic of the Chinese people. The empirical research performed well in Chinese communication research，while it still needs to break through the limitations of Western communication theory. In response to how to take China as a method，Professor Wu suggested that it’s necessary that not only to perceive Chinese experience intuitively，but also step into the Chinese field through the action of intentional practice，interweaving the process of perception and recognition of experience with the process of refining research questions. By deepening insight into questions and structuralizing questions through systematizing experience to innovate theoretically with Chinese characteristics.

Keywords：Chinese communication research；taking communication as a method；taking china as a method；taking the world as a method；localization of communication

Perceptual orders and media practice：An empirical study of farmers’ short video use in rural Beijing

Li Hongyan

Abstract：Perceptual orders pertain to how the five senses（i.e.，touch，smell，taste，sight，and sound）are used in media consumption across a long period of time and which of them may be employed more frequently than the others. We conducted surveys，participatory observations，and in-depth interviews to examine the media use of short videos among farmers in rural Beijing from the perspective of perceptual orders. We found that farmers watched，shared，and created short videos. They were no longer bystanders，but participants of the networked world. A new perceptual order was established whereby touch was increasingly given an equal importance to sound and sight whereas smell and taste were less inactive. Implications of this study were also discussed.

Keywords：perceptual orders；short videos；rural culture；rural characters

Cultural governance：A holistic view of rural governance

Sha Yao

Abstract：Why has rural governance become the weakness of social governance？It is found that the long-term administrative and industrial governance is an important reason for this situation. Previously，culture was often used as a tool for touristic and presentational purposes，and its characteristics that were useful for governance was ignored. Culture，as we know it，can be introduced into rural governance. A holistic view of social governance emphasizes that mass culture，traditional culture，and media culture should be integrated. Therefore，the cultural approach of rural governance should focus on two aspects. One，we should depend on the organized farmers，leverage all resources，and coordinate and mobilize all forces that are originated from the rural areas to tackle the difficulties encountered in the process of social changes. Two，we should also note that the rural culture today tends to be more public than private，more collectivist than individualistic，and as such all walks of life should be involved in rural governance.

Keywords：cultural governance；social governance；rural development and change；a holistic view

What it means to be useful：A research on smartphone use and digital poverty of rural older women

Qiao Tongzhou Li Chunliu

Abstract：This study examined the smartphone use of older women in rural areas and explored the predictors of digital poverty. We conducted participant observations and in-depth interviews among older women in the Xin village of Eastern Hebei Province. We found that the participants’ smartphone usage was low and they were digitally poor to a certain degree. In addition，the perceived usefulness was associated with their smartphone usage，which in turn influenced their perceived value of themselves and the group as a whole. Findings of this study suggested that the key to reduce older women’s digital poverty was to increase their perceived personal value and self-efficacy.

Keywords：digital poverty；information and communication technology；smartphone use；perceived usefulness

The proxied diffusion：Township governance in the context of new media

Niu Chang

Abstract：New media technology is reshaping the form and demand of township governance. Based on the mutual construction theory，this study examined the characteristics and directions of township governance in the era of new media. A ten-year field survey conducted in rural Beijing found that the connection and mutual construction between technologies and organizations were shown along three dimensions—the format，the participation，and the structure. In addition，we conceptualized the pattern of township governance in the era of new information technologies as a “proxied diffusion” of township governance. It had three characteristics，including electronic governance（i.e.，E-governance），the self-motivated participants（i.e.，villagers），and the proxy（i.e.，staff who assist local government to perform public affair duties；however，they do not have a formal establishment at the organization where they work）. Implications of this study regarding the key role of technologies in empowering township governance were also discussed.

Keywords：township governance；new media；technology and organization；theory of mutual construction

New media use and changes in interpersonal relationship inthe rural society：A field study of a village in Southeast Henan

Feng Guangsheng Wang Can

Abstract：New media have profoundly influenced the traditional pattern of interpersonal relationship in a rural society. This study conducted an ethnography and in-depth interviews in a village in Southeast Henan to examine the changes in interpersonal relationship in an era of new media. New media technologies are seen as a means to empower the villagers. They transformed from an inactive group who were used to being organized to a more active group who were able to organize at their own discretion. The context of interpersonal relationships in the rural society was undergoing a major change from an actual space to a virtual space. Meanwhile，users may engage in a disempowering situation when they were overly dependent on the new media，leaving no room for individual initiative and creativity. In such a dilemma，villagers’ perception，mindset，and preference regarding their interpersonal relationships were constantly changing.

Keywords：new media；empowerment and disempowerment；interpersonal relationship；deconstruction and reconstruction

Internetself-organization and structural changes of rural community governance：A field study of a western village in China

Niu Yaohong

Abstract：A field research we conducted in a western village found that Internet self-organization has become an important part of the social structure of rural areas. The Internet self-organization centers on public opinion and public engagement and integrates multiple key players into the collaborative management network through the use of social media. In this way，unity is achieved at the local level and all parts of the rural society is integrated. The administrative，single-centered structure of governance that was guided by the “compulsory order maintenance” in the past is turning into a collaborative，integrative system run by multiple players. The model of rural governance is built upon a framework that is led by the local government and assisted and promoted by the Internet self-organization. Villagers’ involvement in the governing process is pervasive.

Keywords：social media；Internet self-organization；community governance

Towards the Ideal Skin：Discipline in the Age of Lookism

Huang Weizi Shao Mingjie

Abstract：In the age of Lookism，the skin of the face has received unprecedented attention. This paper examines the expression of skin discourses on online self-media，conducting a Foucauldian discourse analysis and revealing the micro-powers behind the discourses. The study finds that self-media constructs a remarkably similar set of imaginaries of the “ideal skin”，underpinned by unequal power relations in terms of age，gender，race and social class. By referring to this demanding standard of “ideal skin”，skin problems are generalized，subjects are identified，anxieties are created，and consumerist solutions are directed. In this process，different knowledge systems play against each other，the most representative of which are the traditional “skin care” and the modern “skin management” discourses. However，both “skin care” and “skin management” bring a more detailed and intense discipline to the body，and they collectively draw individuals deeper into the vortex of consumerism.

Keywords：skin studies；discourse analysis；the disciplining of the body；consumerism

Professionalplayers as labor：An ethnographic study of game boosting

Wu Dingming Wu Jieyi Zhang Xiaoyu

Abstract：Game boosting（youxi dailian）is a service that allows lower-rank players to get help from professional gamers to play any game they want to until a desired level or rank is reached. The professional players who are paid for their boosting services are considered digital labor force. Game boosting services are increasingly common in China. This study conducted an online ethnography and in-depth interviews of eight professional players who provided boosting services. We found that professional gamers on longer played games for entertaining purposes. Instead，playing games became a skill which enabled professional gamers to earn profits and these players became gig workers on the assembly lines of the game industry. Game boosting services expanded the boundaries of labor. The low-level digital labor force was eventually integrated into the industrial chain. As a result，the digital capital kept expanding and the appreciation of digital capital increased exponentially.

Keywords：game boosting；digital labor；King of Glory；capital appreciation

Understanding “social death”：A grounded study in the perspective of mediated visibility

Zhou Ruiming Wu Mei

Abstract：This research aimed to examine the use of the buzzword “social death”（shesi）on Chinese social media. We conceptualized social death as a process of visibility-making and cancelling on someone on social media，which often involved moral judgment and punishment on someone’s discursive and/or behavioral deviance，even transgressions，compared with the norms of visibility-makers held. Interviews（N=18）showed that those judged and punished through social death（bei shesi）reported embarrassment and shame. They would then refrain from free expression and adjust their speaking strategies to manage their self-identity and self-presentation effectively. This study concluded that social death pertained to pan-moralization，blurring the line between public and private life.

Keywords：social death；mediated visibility；pan-moralization