Self-construction And Media-presentation Of Contemporary "Media Intellectuals"

The present research focuses on two interrelated questions that are:how mass media presents contemporary "media intellectuals" and how contemporary "media intellectuals" construct themselves. Based on cases studies of Yu Dan, Cui Yongyuan and Yu Minhong, the relationship between the intellectuals and the media is unfolded in the context of the "media society".In terms of different occupations and fields, contemporary "media intellectuals" can be divided into many categories, the paper selects three representative categories: the intellectuals with the academic background, the intellectuals with a journalist background and the intellectuals with successful business background. Distinct from the general intellectuals, media is the base and precondition of the identity of the "media intellectuals". They regard the media as a tool and platform, and they are active in the mass media. They enter the public sphere with the critical spirit and responsibility, they fight for the public interests, and they thus make an impact on the society.The influence of intellectuals was more confined to a certain field. They are not the "media intellectuals" before they are engaged with the media and have a greater impact on society. They are considered to be the "media intellectuals" after using the "self-construction" and "media-presentation" through the media. In other words, all the presentation and display is the process of identity construction, and the "media intellectuals" are the result of this construction. The paper therefore selects Yu Dan, Cui Yongyuan and Yu Minhong as three representative "media intellectuals" and examines the generation process of self-construction and media-presentation via the media, such as the newspapers, TV, Weibo and books. "Media-presentation" is mainly considered as the image presentation of "media intellectuals" by the different media reports for themselves. "Self-construction" displays the process that intellectuals how to use the media to construct the public and self-identity. In contrast with the "media-presentation", the "self-construction" is clearer in the subjectivity and purposiveness.By investigating the process that contemporary "media intellectuals" presentation and construction, the media-presentation and self-construction are in the uniform as well as in the opposite. The media-presentation and self-construction are displayed the contradictoriness at a certain stage, but as an entirety, they tend to come to the unity. In view of this, the paper rethinks the relationship between the intellectuals and the media in the "media society". Firstly, in the modern media society, the intellectuals will quickly attract the public attention through an incident. Now, the modern intellectuals are easy to become famous than traditional intellectuals, and the process proves the great power of media. Secondly, the "self-expression" of the intellectuals starts to appear in the media. In the process of the focusing by the media, from passive rendering to fighting with media for the right to speak, active respond by media at last. Finally, the intellectuals and the media are mutually dependent. The media gives the intellectuals social status and fame, the action of the intellectuals is more able to influence the society. At the same time, the fame of the intellectuals also enhances the news value, offers the useful topic and ensures a kind of high attention.