Research On Weibo Interaction Between Public Intellectuals And Fans

Weibo provides a public discourse platform to the public intellectuals and fans, in which they can express their opinions and thoughts freely. For the different Weibo topic, the two conduct interaction of information and opinions around the topic, which imposes important influences. From the theoretic perspective of interactionism and medium situation theory, the case study, participatory observation, content analysis and other research methods are adopted in this paper to study the interaction between public intellects and fans in Weibo.The interaction is conducted under certain situation and the interactive situation affects the role presentation of interactive subject. The coming of Internet era, especially the development of we media represented by Weibo, creates a virtual, interactive, instant and equal medium situation. In the interaction between public intellectuals and fans, the interaction of information and opinions is brought into the range of state control and exposed to the compulsory restrictions of national laws and regulations and to the limited restrictions of medium management systems. In addition, the interactive subject suffers the recessive permeation of the right of practical organizations due to the real name system of Weibo.The topic is the core of interaction. The interactions between public intellectuals and fans reflect as exchanging information and opinions about common topics. A research found that Weibo capital is a vital factor which influences discourse power in interactions on different topics; public intellectuals are expert in using various strategies to strengthen the effect of spread; in the process of interactions, public intellectuals tend to communicate substantially with Weibo users with specific roles; and public intellectuals are influenced by both role and media property in topic setting and spreading.The interaction of subjects in Weibo is also the interaction between roles. In the interaction under different Weibo topics, the roles of public intellectuals and fans are different. The complex role interaction promotes the formation of public topic of Weibo and the development of network public opinion. For the topic of event & fact, the presentation of role is mainly manifested as the cooperation in the information generation and propaganda. For the topic of opinion & review, the public intellectuals occupy a stronger discourse position in the game with the fans, thus playing a role of leader in most cases. However, infected by Weibo mood, the doubts of fans easily form the "group public opinion", which may force the opinion expression of public intellectuals. Facing the "network public opinion", the famous fans are helpless and the public intellectuals also may "be stigmatized". For the topic of social mobilization, public intellectuals strengthen the public role and completes the topic progression and extension by tweeting. The online and offline participation of fans highlights their subjectivity, but also face the situation that the passion attenuates after "carnival". For the topic of life and emotion, public intellectuals may be "foreground", increasing the interactive viscosity of fans. In interactions on different topics, significant role features are shown by public intellectuals and fans. Public intellectuals who play as instructors join with those who are very important users playing as supporters to spread together. In the whole process, one-way attention fans of grassroots highlight their own subjectivity, taking an active part in the production and dissemination of information.In the e-media era, the public intellectuals become the symbol of cultural consumption, facing the risk of loss of subjectivity. The coming of Weibo becomes a new opportunity for the restoration of its subjectivity and the civic awareness of participatory fans is awakened under the leadership of public intellectuals. In interactions in Weibo, public intellectuals who set up public topics or issues and guide public opinions help promote healthy ecologic development of Weibo. However, the interaction of the two in Weibo has certain limitations, for example, the fact of event is hard to be revealed, the public opinion guidance is interfered, and the social mobilization is unsustainable.In recent years, the development of Weibo is slow, but it is still the important source of social public events. Public intellectuals get public properties in Weibo through real-name authentication. Public intellectuals "play" a role "expected by society" during the interaction with fans, which to some extent avoids rumors and fragmented interference, sets models for fans and stimulate healthy development of public opinion ecology of Weibo.