"Conscious Patriot":Micro-Communication Practice And Identity Construction Of Traditional Culture Fans

In recent years,the number of Weibo Super Topics Platform(STP,??)where the public are able to express their patriotism and positive energy is increasing.The identity practice of online patriotic groups in STP will reflect and also affect their concerns on politics.This thesis examined the whole process of identity construction of an online patriotic community from the audience research paradigm,and focused on the role of the media.In the social context of the traditional culture fever,the"Cultural Output Phenomena STP"was selected as the research object,and virtual ethnography,in-depth interview and text analysis were used to study the overall situation of traditional culture fans'micro-communication practice,self-identity construction and group identity construction.The main conclusions were as follows.The basic construction path of this group's identity was The traditional culture fans-The conscious defenders of Chinese culture-The online patriotic group.On one hand,as a media field,the virtual community STP provided a scene and ceremony for the transformation of their role identity.On the other hand,as a media tool,it was used by those members to carry out a series of micro-communication practices which helped them to condense and maintain their identity.Concretely speaking,first of all,by joining the STP,the audience had gradually changed their focus from loving traditional culture to protecting traditional Chinese culture,and their self-identity had also transformed from Traditional Culture Fans to Conscious Defenders of Chinese Culture.Secondly,the cohesion and maintenance of this virtual community shaped the common identity of its members.In their media actions,they gradually clarified their identity attribute of the patriotic group.In this process,the members deepened their dependence on STP and gained a sense of participation in group rituals.Meanwhile,they also gained a positive emotional experience of identity in the demarcation process with the other.Finally,whether what they gained was the recognition of the traditional Chinese culture,or the conscious patriotic emotion and practice,through the expression and reconstruction of micro-communication practices,the community members realized their national identification.The online patriotic groups also brought with some new characteristics,that were,a)actively and consciously expressing the patriotic feelings,b)actively discovering and continuously paying attention to the topics related to national interests,c)spontaneously forming a stable community,and d)being relatively rational and puting into practical action for a long time.Overall,it is concluded that the STP gathers the people with similar identities,and this community is willing to consciously participate in the discussion of political topics,which may illustrate a new form of online political participation and public discussion in the era of micro-communication.Therefore,this thesis suggests that,on one hand,the love,support and guidance of online patriotic groups should be strengthened and their ability of rational thinking and discussion should be cultivated.On the other hand,we should seize the opportunity of traditional culture fever,bring this folk force of cultural protection into the framework of national governance,form a kind of pool efforts to maintain national cultural security and finally promote national cultural communication.