The shifting representation of common people in China’s news media

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Zhang

This paper examines the meanings associated with the high-frequency social address term baixing (‘common people’) in China’s contemporary news media, through the analysis of a sizable corpus of data from China’s online news portals, together with the results of qualitative research derived from participation in an online discussion forum. The findings of this project indicate that the term baixing is closely associated with discourses of insignificance, obedience, and powerlessness. This study sets out to make a contribution to current research on Chinese address terms through the use of a corpus-based methodology, by expanding the site of investigation beyond face-to-face encounters to a wider media public, and thereby to provide insights into the discourses of citizen identity in contemporary China.

Significance The new rules follow a stand-off between Twitter and the central government last month over some posts and accounts. The government has used this stand-off as an opportunity not only to tighten rules governing social media, including Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook and LinkedIn, but also those for other digital service providers including news publishers and entertainment streaming companies. Impacts Government moves against dominant social media platforms will boost the appeal of smaller platforms with light or no content moderation. Hate speech and harmful disinformation are especially hard to control and curb on smaller platforms. The new rules will have a chilling effect on online public discourse, increasing self-censorship (at the very least). Government action against online news media would undercut fundamental democratic freedoms and the right to dissent. Since US-based companies dominate key segments of the Indian digital market, India’s restrictive rules could mar India-US ties.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benny Nuriely ◽  
Moti Gigi ◽  
Yuval Gozansky

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the ways socio-economic issues are represented in mainstream news media and how it is consumed, understood and interpreted by Israeli young adults (YAs). It examines how mainstream media uses neo-liberal discourse, and the ways YAs internalize this ethic, while simultaneously finding ways to overcome its limitations. Design/methodology/approach This was a mixed methods study. First, it undertook content analysis of the most popular Israeli mainstream news media among YAs: the online news site Ynet and the TV Channel 2 news. Second, the authors undertook semi-structured in-depth interviews with 29 Israeli YAs. The analysis is based on an online survey of 600 young Israelis, aged 18–35 years. Findings Most YAs did not perceive mainstream media as enabling a reliable understanding of the issues important to them. The content analysis revealed that self-representation of YAs is rare, and that their issues were explained, and even resolved, by older adults. Furthermore, most of YAs' problems in mainstream news media were presented using a neo-liberal perspective. Finally, from the interviews, the authors learned that YAs did not find information that could help them deal with their most pressing economic and social issue, in the content offered by mainstream media. For most of them, social media overcomes these shortcomings. Originality/value Contrary to research that has explored YAs’ consumerism of new media outlets, this article explores how YAs in Israel are constructed in the media, as well as the way in which YAs understand mainstream and new social media coverage of the issues most important to them. Using media content analysis and interviews, the authors found that Young Adults tend to be ambivalent toward media coverage. They understand the lack of media information: most of them know that they do not learn enough from the media. This acknowledgment accompanies their tendency to internalize the neo-liberal logic and conservative Israeli national culture, in which class and economic redistribution are largely overlooked. Mainstream news media uses neo-liberal discourse, and young adults internalize this logic, while simultaneously finding ways to overcome the limitations this discourse offers. They do so by turning to social media, mainly Facebook. Consequently, their behavior maintains the logic of the market, while also developing new social relations, enabled by social media.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-14
Author(s):  
Hairul Azlan Annuar

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of independent non-executive directors (INEDs) in Malaysian public listed companies (PLCs), other than the control role prescribed by agency theory and reformatory documents such as the Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research design, consisting of face-to-face interviews with 27 company directors of Malaysian-owned PLCs, was instigated. Findings The interviews revealed that INEDs do more than just monitor their executive counterparts. Apart from the control role, INEDs of Malaysian companies provide a conduit for mitigating uncertainties in the environment and perform invaluable services to the host companies. Research limitations/implications This research utilized interviews. Generalizations may be an issue when interviews are used as the method of inquiry. Also, the sample is not random as access to many of the interviewed directors depended on recommendations. In addition, respondents were consciously selected in order to obtain various board positions that include independent and non-independent directors. Originality/value There are limited studies using qualitative research design in investigating INEDs’ performing other roles apart from the control role of the board in developing countries. Many of previous studies and literature in this area of corporate governance were predominantly based upon experiences of western economies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Bouchard ◽  
J. David Smith ◽  
Heather Woods

Previous research indicates that victimized youth are reluctant to address their friends’ victimizing behaviors and are likely to remain in a victimizing friendship despite experiencing significant distress. Research investigating the complex factors underlying this commitment to victimizing friendships is required. To this end, a qualitative research design was used as previously victimized youth asynchronously contributed to an anonymous online discussion forum for 2 months. Guided by two theories used to understand staying/leaving processes in intimate partner violence and a social-ecological systems perspective, the data were captured into descriptive categories. The results demonstrate that adolescents ( N = 25) were reluctant to address their friends’ victimizing behaviors and many persisted in their victimizing friendships. The factors underlying this reluctance were categorized as cognitive, relational, and contextual. The results indicate that persisting in a friendship despite feeling victimized can seem paradoxical to outsiders but there are clear reasons underlying adolescents’ choices.


CCIT Journal ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-164
Author(s):  
Dewi Immaniar Desrianti ◽  
Lusyani Sunarya ◽  
Dwi Fitri Parmania

The sophistication of information and communication technology (ICT) especially in the field of internet is very supportive and easier to find information by using a web browser as a medium, one of the utilization of information and communication technology (ICT) is an online discussion forum as access to discuss various things. Discussion forums active role as a communication medium that exists with the purpose of giving opinions, motivation, solutions, and information related to the ongoing discussion in the forum. Along with the development of non-formal learning methods, discussion forums are now made by several campuses in Indonesia, which aims to provide solutions to the students to be more active in asking and able to provide accurate answers or opinions thus indirectly the discussion forum turned into a place of learning non- formal distance can be done without face to face (ilearning learning methods). The problem is access to the previous discussion forum where discussions are time limitations in the delivery time, require each member to take the time to meet face to face and also requires that each member be in one (1) point for the purpose of exchanging information. Online discussion forums is an efficient solution is flexible and does not remember much each member has the same time, by making use of information and communication technology (ICT) is one of the colleges make online discussion forums as a forum of discussion among students, faculty and staff at the college incorporated as members so that the members can ask questions and provide solutions, and argue about related questions to give you an idea - an idea that is easy to understand that is packaged specifically for non-learning activities fomal online and without a time bound access. RhjFox is a communication medium in the form of active online discussion forum developed by the university, with a discussion of the division of the categories created to facilitate the members to interact and search for information on the desired topic of discussion in the discussion forum. RhjFox is a contribution to improving the quality of interaction and discussion without the limitations of time and face to face which involves students, faculty and staff members who had previously performed only discussion forum at the time and the same place


Kybernetes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cem Sen ◽  
Korhan Arun ◽  
Olcay Okun

PurposeThis paper articulates a multi-contextual and dynamic system for memory research in relation to multi-cultural organizations (MCOs) by a qualitative research method.Design/methodology/approachFace-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives of 30 national officers in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to illuminate how the construction of organizational memory (OM) can then be compared and contrasted across different cultures.FindingsThe findings show that OM still mostly resides in individuals with the social transfer. However, even if, cultural aspects define what should be stored, time and purpose, the static memory of individuals becomes dynamic OM that is represented and interpreted in an organization's practices, policies and learning.Originality/valueThe primary contribution is to attempt to dissolve the seeming assumption of dialectical metaphoric perspectives of OM between different but related sub-communities of practice and outcomes. Consequently, socially constructed and individual memory models are necessary to integrate different metaphors according to the multi-context theory, which extends the understanding of the diversity between the cultural backgrounds of individuals and groups.


2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-36
Author(s):  
Richard Ng ◽  
Abtar Kaur ◽  
Siti Farina Sheikh Mohamed ◽  
Latifah Abdol Latif ◽  
Ramli Bahroom

Open University Malaysia (OUM), Malaysia's first open and distance learning with over 70.000 students, offers more than 51 programs to-date. More than 90% of its students are working adults who are unable to leave their jobs or families behind to pursue their dream of getting a degree. The blended learning approach adopted by OUM provides the flexibility for working adult's to obtain the required paper qualification and to upgrade their knowledge. One of the important elements of blended learning is the use of online discussion forum where learning takes place beyond classroom. Mathematics, a traditionally difficult course, forms part of the prerequisite for students to obtain a business degree at OUM. The adult learners at OUM generally have left school for at least five years and most of them have low grades in Mathematics at O' Level. Thus it is a big challenge for these adult learners to undertake a Mathematics course via online with minimum Face-to-Face contact with their tutors. This paper focuses on the implementation of pro-instruction workshop and supplemental instruction to find its impact on student's online participation and exam results of 88 students. The contents of the online forum were also analyzed using a 34-item instrument derived from the Community of Inquiry model. Results obtained showed that there was a strong correlation between workshop participation and final exam score. Independent samples t-test conducted showed that there was a significant difference between the mean score of online discussion ratio and final examination between participants attached to a tutor conducting the workshop and extended coaching compared to participants attached to another tutor using the normal teaching guide. The means COI score obtained for mathematics between the two tutors indicated that there is a difference in the teaching and cognitive presence but almost similar in the social presence.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 565-583
Author(s):  
Elif Özcan-Tok ◽  
Mustafa Utku Özmen ◽  
Ertan Tok ◽  
Tuba Yılmaz

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the information sharing in an online discussion forum, over an agricultural market characterized by a large number of small-scale farmers, has an impact on the market prices. Design/methodology/approach All the comments posted by farmers and traders on four storable items (potato, onion, lemon and apple) in an online discussion forum over 2013–2017 are collected. By using text mining techniques and regression analysis, words characterizing the actions and expectations of farmers and traders on the course of the market price are identified. Then, summary indicators pointing to positive and negative views on prices are calculated. Finally, the relation between these indicators and market prices is analyzed. Findings The results point to economically significant impacts, as one standard deviation increase in the share of net positive comments is associated with 20, 22, 13 and 10 percent increase in the consumer prices of potato, onion, lemon and apple, respectively within three months. Originality/value Overall, this study provides an evidence for the link between information sharing of farmers on online domain and their collaboration in the physical domain. Thus, the study implies that the information synthesized from online discussion forums may actually contain valuable information for researchers and policy makers regarding the behavior of agents even on traditional domains such as agriculture.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Bilal Farooq ◽  
Charl de Villiers

Purpose The aims of this study are to review the literature examining the arguments for and against the telephonic qualitative research interviews, to develop criteria for assessing when the use of the telephone is suitable in qualitative research and if suitable to offer detailed strategies for the effective use of this data collection instrument. Design/methodology/approach The study is a thematic analysis of the literature, informed by the researchers’ experiences using the telephone, computer-based audio and face-to-face interviews for an accounting research project involving 50 semi-structured interviews with managers. Findings The study identifies five criteria to determine the suitability of using the telephone in qualitative research interviews. In addition, the study offers a set of detailed strategies on what to do before, during and after a telephonic qualitative research interview. Research limitations/implications The study can assist qualitative researchers in deciding when to use the telephone and how to use it effectively. Originality/value The study builds on the limited prior research and provides a more complete list of strategies on the effective use of the telephone in qualitative social sciences research. These strategies are a synthesis of existing studies and observations drawn from the author's study, which examines the work of organisational managers. In comparison, prior studies have been based on research projects that explored sensitive personal issues and emotive experiences not always related to managerial work.


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