Typically, scholars and news sources focus on the content that the government of the People’s Republic of China ends up censoring: online posts or articles that could incite protests for civil liberties, democracy, or other causes. Yet the Chinese government’s manipulation of the laobaixing (the “common people”) goes much farther than that. Most interesting to me is what the Chinese government chooses not to censor. In an article titled “China is whipping up public anger against South Korea,” The Economist discusses how the Chinese government, while it usually keeps a tight grip on any internet conversations or posts that might incite protests, shrewdly allowed public anger about new American missile defense installments on land owned by Lotte, a South Korean company to manifest itself on the streets. Numerous protests and boycotts inflicted significant economic pain on Lotte.
One puzzle here — albeit one already well explored by scholars — is that the internet is something people in the West often assume is a tool of liberation for the masses in movements such as the Arab Spring (though scholars still debate the internet’s role); but in China it seems that the government has actually turned it into a tool of oppression. In my opinion, the more interesting puzzle here (and the one that I intend to focus on in my research) is that China’s authoritarian regime seems to have found a way to use the public to manifest its will. Especially to people only familiar with living in democracies, this seems somewhat counterintuitive – as if the tail is wagging the dog.
The Lotte incident suggests that these actions by the Chinese government with regard to social media and other internet media might affect international relations, especially with Japan, South Korea, and the West. I intend to explore further these phenomena to determine what kind (if any) effect they have on international relations. Whether the effects are significant or not, understanding them can improve the way I think about international relations with East Asia as I proceed into upper-level courses on the subject. Also, it may be interesting to utilize my experience studying abroad to observe first hand how social media can affect the Chinese public’s attitudes towards foreign countries either through interviews or passive observation. Moreover, it can further our knowledge about China’s relationship with its neighbors and with the West, and thus it can improve US foreign policy towards China and East Asia as a whole.
Jack, your research topic is really fascinating. I appreciate the way you acknowledge what aspects of your topic have already been covered by other researchers; it clearly demonstrates your already well-rounded understanding of your topic. I am also impressed that you recognize what other people tend to focus on and completely flip it around. I think it will make your process more creative and your results more applicable to foreign relations, which you also mentioned as a reason for your research. I am curious however what you mean by “use the public to manifest its will.” Are you suggesting that what the Chinese government chooses to censor or not censor is a deliberate choice based on what it wants the Chinese public to communicate or represent to the international community via social media?
Jack — you have a promising topic area here and one that is certainly amenable to research. As you continue to think about potential research puzzles such as the one that you mention in the second paragraph, keep working on articulating what is unexplained (or, put another way, what it is that you want to explain) in the topic area. A good puzzle is built upon solid empirical observation, so that you can point to something concrete — a trend, an outcome, a state of affairs, an event, etc. — that just *demands explanation* because it doesn’t make sense and, in all likelihood, it is debated by scholars. With that in mind how might you make your puzzle more precise? Some of the general scholarly literature on authoritarian regimes might be useful to you here (as well as talking to your mentor and considering literature related to China).
Overall a good start here! Keep up the reading and research — I’m very interested to see how the project develops in the next few weeks!
Finally, two writing/formatting notes: first, be sure to cite sources! You mention a specific source in your first paragraph, so that needs a footnote at the end and then a footnote citation for the work that you are mentioning should appear at the bottom of the post. In the second post you mention “scholars” but there is not a citation to those scholars. It is good to get into the habit of always citing sources now–especially in research writing!
Second, be sure to check the required categories listed on the assignment sheet for your post as you write it (before you click “Publish”) so that the search and organization filters on the site pick up your post, and so that I see it when I search for different posts.