Separation And Permeation: Communication Flow And Identity Formation Of Twitter China Users

This research has investigated the information flow and identity construction process of China users of Twitter. By adopting questionnaire survey, indepth interview and text study, the research has revealed that although technical separation keeps existing in China, these users still actively interact with members of different groups.First, Twitter has provided a different stage for self-presentation of China users. They tend to present different roles in different Internet environment. On the condition that they can protect their privacy, they seek a way of diverse self-presentation. By sharing information and commenting on current affairs, they are gradually forming their role of civic engagement.Second, they have different kinds of interpersonal connections in different Internet space. On Twitter, they interact more with cyber friends sharing common attitude towards public affairs. In domestic Internet space, they communicate more frequently with off-line friends.Further, on the base of similar experiences and memory, they have formed unique group identity. They make a distinction between those, who can recognize the Internet environment difference in and out of China, and try to break through the technical blocking, and the rest of netizens in China. When they face public affairs, their group identity turns salient, and they begin entering into public discussion.These characteristics of their identity greatly influence their communication process. They not only take advantage of the characters of this separated space to discuss public affairs, but also transport information into domestic spaces in a way that not breaking the tolerance of government. They mainly concentrate on political issues. They also prefer to compare different information sources. In different phrases of public affair, they shift their discussion spaces in different information environment.However, some group members do not welcome the radical expression on politics. And the emphasis on public affairs reduces the expression of personal and other group topics, which leads to the departure of a proportion of members.Their communication behaviour reflects an important feature of civic engagement of Chinese citizens-keeping a curtain distance to authorities, and keeping testing the limits of consensus control at the same time.