This volume focuses on Chinese society in the environment created by new media. It offers insights into Chinese public opinion for an international readership, and to promote the media literacy and crisis coping capacity of all social sectors by integrating multiple research perspectives, including journalism and communication, management, sociology, psychology, information security, etc. The volume is guided by an innovative “overarching public opinion research framework” as well as qualitative and quantitative research methods, and includes in-depth studies on: the status quo of Chinese social opinion and Internet public opinion, the developmental history of Chinese Internet public opinion over the past ten years (2003-2012), the online communication of public events, and public satisfaction with the government. ​

Starting from a history of new media, this book presents the development of network technology and media applications in China, while also examining the relationship between new media and politics, economy, culture, lifestyle, traditional media, law, knowledge, etc. As of 2014, China had been connected to the Internet for 20 years. During those two decades, China has witnessed drastic changes, from its national makeup to people’s daily lives. The book analyzes the changes in China brought about by the new media on the basis of large-scale data. Further, through comparisons with international trends in new media development, it seeks to clarify the new media development in China and comprehensively demonstrate the revolution and brand-new faces of Chinese society over the past two decades in the wake of new media. As such, it outlines the bright future of new media by revisiting and summarizing the developmental courses of new media and Chinese society.

This book describes various crisis situations in transitional China, and by analyzing the unique characteristics and backgrounds of emergencies and crisis, it argues that crisis management has become a major challenge for the Chinese governments. It then discusses the chronology of crisis, organizational behaviors and the decision-making processes to construct a modern crisis management system in detail, to shed light on the creation of a strategic design and institutional framework of crisis management in China. In so doing, it provides not only insights into the dynamics of crisis decision-making and communication, but also solutions for possible problems specific to a transitional political regime in China.

The SAGE Guide to Key Issues in Mass Media Ethics and Law is an authoritative and rigorous two-volume, issues-based reference set that surveys varied views on many of the most contentious issues involving mass media ethics and the law. Divided into six thematic sections covering information from contrasting ethical responsibly and legal rights for both speech and press, newsgathering and access, and privacy to libelous reporting, business considerations, and changing rules with social media and the Internet, the information in this guide is extremely relevant to a variety of audiences. This guide specifically focuses on matters that are likely to be regular front-page headlines concerning topics such as technological threats to privacy, sensationalism in media coverage of high-profile trials, cameras in the courtroom, use of confidential sources, national security concerns and the press, digital duplication and deception, rights of celebrities, plagiarism, and more. Collectively, this guide assesses key contentious issues and legal precedents, noting current ethical and legal trends and likely future directions. Features: Six thematic sections consist of approximately a dozen chapters each written by eminent scholars and practitioners active in the field. Sections open with a general Introduction by the volume editors and conclude with a wrap-up “Outlook” section to highlight likely future trends. Chapters follow a common organizational outline of a brief overview of the issue at hand, historical background and precedent, and presentation of various perspectives (pro, con, mixed) to the issue. “See also” cross references guide readers to related chapters and references and further readings guide users to more in-depth resources for follow-up. This reference guide is an excellent source for the general public, students, and researchers who are interested in expanding their knowledge in mass media and the ethics and law surrounding it.

Maria Repnikova offers an innovative analysis of the media oversight role in China by examining how a volatile partnership is sustained between critical journalists and the state.

Redefining the concept of new media in China, this cutting edge book discusses the impact of social media on Chinese public life. Examining its characteristics and the different forms of social media, such as internet and mobile phone media, weibo, wechat and micro-blogging, it considers how public opinion evolves through this media and its interaction with traditional media. It also offers a unique analysis of growing new media platforms, the challenges of government management and the impact of micro-blogging on journalism in China. Through quantitative research, the book also analyses new media user behavior in China, offering a ‘butterfly effect’ model for public opinion based on new media. It also shows the relevance of the sociological Matthew Effect and addresses issues such as the ‘20 million’ phenomenon and the Internet Water army (Wangluo shuijun), groups of Internet ghost-writers paid to post specific content online. Finally, it scrutinizes the the issue of mass disturbance in new media in China, researching evolutionary mechanisms and academic models of mass disturbance through a series of case studies. Written by a leader in the field of Chinese new media, this book constitutes a valuable read to scholars of media and communications studies, and all those interested by the development and the increasing impact of new media in China.

One of the first of its kind, this book examines the digitalization of Chinese businesses both theoretically and practically. Taking a fresh and unique approach, the authors seek to adopt individual theories for each empirical case explored and investigate the dramatic digital transformation that Chinese firms have undergone in recent years. With a particular focus on social networks, the authors observe and analyze the way that digitized applications can interlink with financial systems, developing new capabilities that help to yield competitive advantage. Covering both small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and globally orientated multinational enterprises (MNEs), this book is a valuable resource for those researching Asian business, or international business more generally, as well as innovation and technology management.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed social interactions. Social distancing policies, lockdowns, and mandatory quarantines have accelerated the technological mediation of communication (e.g. AI-mediated communication, computer-mediated communication) on an unprecedented scale, willingly or otherwise. Many physical activities such as office work, education, and conferences have had to be performed in the online space through social media apps, the metaverse or specialized programs on mobile phones or laptops as part of pandemic control efforts. As a result, digitally mediated channels have become critical for information acquisition and communication across a wide spectrum of human activities such as education, social interaction, entertainment, and commercial activities. Human beings are increasingly reliant on non-human agents, including social media, Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tools, or smartphone mobile devices for most routine activities, professional communication, and social interactions. As scientific understanding of COVID-19 improves, pandemic restrictions are gradually loosening. However, it remains to be seen whether the pandemic communication paradigm characterized by heavy technological mediation and reliance on non-human agents will also gradually decline, or will the paradigm shift become deeply entrenched with further acceleration of dependency on technological mediation and non-human agents.

The year 2008 marked a historical turning point for China, with the 30th anniversary of the launch of China’s opening and reform policy, the Beijing Olympics, the Sichuan earthquake and the subprime mortgage crisis in the USA. China was in the midst of an economic boom, and began to invest and modernize more fully, but the international economic crisis affected the country and the Chinese government is aiming to confront this major challenge.

In this timely book about the current state of research and practice of emergency management in China, the authors take as their basic premises that we now live in a risk society and that our collective ability to deal with disasters and their aftermath is more important than ever. Set within a multi-disciplinary framework that places risk, disaster and crisis, the three phases of emergency management, on an analytical continuum, and drawing on empirical data obtained through surveys, observations, and interviews, the study not only provides a thorough overview of recent progress in our theoretical understanding of the subject but also offers insights on how scientifically informed policies can improve the way emergency management is done in China.