The web of meaning: The internet in a changing Chinese society

Abstract

The web of meaning: The internet in a changing Chinese society is an ambitious work that endeavors to theorize the study of digital media by connecting seemingly separate, yet inher-ently intertwined, communities, practices, and discourses. This book illustrates how a revi-sion of Bourdieu ’ s notion of ‘ fi eld ’ sheds light on understanding the ways in which diverse actors compete for the construction of meanings online. The author argues that the transfor-mative potential of the Chinese Internet lies in its ability to give rise to ‘ symbolic spaces, ’ which simultaneously have been created and shaped by contemporary events in China. The fi rst two chapters (Introduction and Chapter 1) lay out the book ’ s analytical frame-work and theoretical basis. Some of the essential concepts the book draws on are ‘ discursive fi elds, ’ ‘ symbolic power, ’ ‘ symbolic space, ’ and relational thinking. In detailing the process of competition for symbolic power among various actors, the introduction chapter proposes to approach the Chinese Internet as a ‘ discursive site ’ that congregates diverse players, mediates online sociality, and produces new social roles (p. 40). Chapter 2 situates the rise of the Chinese Internet against the backdrop of China ’ s economic reforms and structural transform-ation in the cultural realm. It showcases how the Chinese Internet constitutes a symbolic space that nurtures the rise of multifarious publics, facilitates symbolic transactions, and reformulates power relations. The empirical