Local News Deserts in China: The Role of Social Media and Personal Communication Networks

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Tai, Zixue
Data de Publicação: 2023
Outros Autores: He, Bai, Liu, Jianping
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i3.6812
Resumo: The field of local news is often associated with news deserts, commonly defined as geo-based communities without newspapers or other legacy media as providers of locally oriented news and civic information. This phenomenon is expanding in global society due to the diminishing presence of newspapers at moments of accelerated digitization. This study examines the multiplex nature of news deserts in rural and suburban areas in China. Data were collected through a multi-methods approach combining two focus groups and 44 semi-structured in-depth interviews. Patterns of engagement among interviewees reveal that smartphone-based social media applications and digital platforms function as viable sources of news, and incidental exposure to news has become the norm of digital news use. Government-orchestrated convergent media services and WeChat channels are preferred choices by most research participants for local news. We argue that a media ecology perspective may be a productive approach to understanding community news and local newspapers.
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spelling Local News Deserts in China: The Role of Social Media and Personal Communication NetworksChina; community news; Convergent Media; media ecology; news desert; social media; WeChatThe field of local news is often associated with news deserts, commonly defined as geo-based communities without newspapers or other legacy media as providers of locally oriented news and civic information. This phenomenon is expanding in global society due to the diminishing presence of newspapers at moments of accelerated digitization. This study examines the multiplex nature of news deserts in rural and suburban areas in China. Data were collected through a multi-methods approach combining two focus groups and 44 semi-structured in-depth interviews. Patterns of engagement among interviewees reveal that smartphone-based social media applications and digital platforms function as viable sources of news, and incidental exposure to news has become the norm of digital news use. Government-orchestrated convergent media services and WeChat channels are preferred choices by most research participants for local news. We argue that a media ecology perspective may be a productive approach to understanding community news and local newspapers.Cogitatio Press2023-09-28info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i3.6812https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i3.6812Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 3 (2023): News Deserts: Places and Spaces Without News; 426-4362183-243910.17645/mac.i363reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAPenghttps://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6812https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6812/6812Copyright (c) 2023 Zixue Tai, Bai He, Jianping Liuinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessTai, ZixueHe, BaiLiu, Jianping2023-09-28T17:45:24Zoai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/6812Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T20:31:38.906383Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Local News Deserts in China: The Role of Social Media and Personal Communication Networks
title Local News Deserts in China: The Role of Social Media and Personal Communication Networks
spellingShingle Local News Deserts in China: The Role of Social Media and Personal Communication Networks
Tai, Zixue
China; community news; Convergent Media; media ecology; news desert; social media; WeChat
title_short Local News Deserts in China: The Role of Social Media and Personal Communication Networks
title_full Local News Deserts in China: The Role of Social Media and Personal Communication Networks
title_fullStr Local News Deserts in China: The Role of Social Media and Personal Communication Networks
title_full_unstemmed Local News Deserts in China: The Role of Social Media and Personal Communication Networks
title_sort Local News Deserts in China: The Role of Social Media and Personal Communication Networks
author Tai, Zixue
author_facet Tai, Zixue
He, Bai
Liu, Jianping
author_role author
author2 He, Bai
Liu, Jianping
author2_role author
author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Tai, Zixue
He, Bai
Liu, Jianping
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv China; community news; Convergent Media; media ecology; news desert; social media; WeChat
topic China; community news; Convergent Media; media ecology; news desert; social media; WeChat
description The field of local news is often associated with news deserts, commonly defined as geo-based communities without newspapers or other legacy media as providers of locally oriented news and civic information. This phenomenon is expanding in global society due to the diminishing presence of newspapers at moments of accelerated digitization. This study examines the multiplex nature of news deserts in rural and suburban areas in China. Data were collected through a multi-methods approach combining two focus groups and 44 semi-structured in-depth interviews. Patterns of engagement among interviewees reveal that smartphone-based social media applications and digital platforms function as viable sources of news, and incidental exposure to news has become the norm of digital news use. Government-orchestrated convergent media services and WeChat channels are preferred choices by most research participants for local news. We argue that a media ecology perspective may be a productive approach to understanding community news and local newspapers.
publishDate 2023
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2023-09-28
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i3.6812
https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i3.6812
url https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i3.6812
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6812
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6812/6812
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv Copyright (c) 2023 Zixue Tai, Bai He, Jianping Liu
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv Copyright (c) 2023 Zixue Tai, Bai He, Jianping Liu
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Cogitatio Press
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Cogitatio Press
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Media and Communication; Vol 11, No 3 (2023): News Deserts: Places and Spaces Without News; 426-436
2183-2439
10.17645/mac.i363
reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
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instacron:RCAAP
instname_str Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação
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collection Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
repository.name.fl_str_mv Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação
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