Media Representation Of Digital Publishing In Mainland China

While the new technology is shaped by the political and economic powers, the technology also changes the established political and economic system. Digital publishing technology follows the same way. The purpose of this study is to explore how digital publishing technology is shaped by the existing political and economic powers and how the technology impacts on political and economic system in current China.Media representation affected by the political and economic powers is one of the significant ways to social construction. Through the media representation on digital publishing and its media frame in China Book Business Report, the most influential newspaper in Chinese publishing industry, the study clarifies the complexion among digital publishing technology and a variety of political and economic powers in and out of current Chinese publishing industryThrough content analysis, this study explores how China Book Business Report represented digital publishing. The representation of digital publishing in China Book Business Report can be concluded as follows:firstly, the newspaper represents its business value rather than its social and cultural value; secondly, the subjects of digital publishing were limited as traditional publishing companies; thirdly, the newspaper prefers the theme that digital publishing technology has brought negative effects to traditional publishing companies; finally, the west has been represented as a pioneer in digital publishing. The study also founds that this newspaper obeys the following rules in setting agendas and choosing materials:following the principle of commercialism; close relatedness to traditional publishing industry; mainly choosing materials from the west; obtaining information and opinions from elites.The study illustrates that the commercialism, the power struggle between traditional publishing industry and other industries, and the power of the west in the context of globalization and modernization, are the three dominant forces in representation of digital publishing in current China.With the perspective of the political economy of communication, this study then analyzed the re-construction process of digital publishing in current China:commercialization of digital publishing technology and the re-construction of the publishing industry space. The commercialization and re-construction of publishing industry were pushed by political and economic powers in and out of publishing industry. In addition, the government and the political and economic powers from the west also made contribution to it.