Micro-Blog Use and Civic Activism in China – A Case Study of the Wukan Protest

Abstract

Micro-blog has gradually become a main channel for netizens to get information and communicate with others in China. Drawing on participatory democracy and digital democracy theory, the following research explores how the biggest Chinese micro-blog site, Weibo, was used by activists to promote participatory democracy by examining the Wukan Protest from September, 2011 to March, 2012. To further contextualize the study, citizen activist activity on Weibo was also explored in relation to the issue of content censorship with respect to the current Internet policies in China. Using a case study research method, this study includes a content analysis of the related posts on Weibo and publicly accessible documentations of China‘s Internet security policy. The research provides a better understanding of the micro-blog‘s role in civic activism in China through a specific instance; and it also extends participatory democracy and digital democracy theory into a new area of empirical inquiry