China at the Tipping Point?: From "Fart People" to Citizens

In: Journal of democracy, Band 24, Heft 1, S. 79-85

Abstract

Abstract:
In recent years, Chinese netizens have shown they possess boundless creativity and ingenuity in finding ways to express themselves despite government restrictions on online speech. To Chinese Internet users, those terms often resonate deeply by expressing feelings about shared experiences that millions of people can immediately relate to. Does New Language Lead to New Thought? Will new political discourse give birth to a new political identity? Are new forms of networked communication enhancing opportunities for social change and helping to move China toward a "threshold" for political transformation? This study is attempting to shed lights on those questions.