Digital-activism in Mainland China: The Role of New Media Communication in an Authoritarian Regime

This study intends to explore the phenomenon of digital-activism, along with its source, dynamics, and implications for social and political changes in China. The goals of this project are: a) to set up a scholarly data-base documenting new media activism emerged in mainland China, b) to investigate the role of new media communication in changing individual citizens in China, c) to critically assess the function of new media communication in fostering a civic and democratic culture and promote social change, and d) to propose localized theories of digital activism that fits the political and cultural context of China.