Talking Tibet in China:the Role of the Internet During the 2008 Riots in Tibet

The emergence of the Internet has allowed for a somewhat unprecedented, quasi-public platform for self expression to emerge in both China and in what Pollard and Yang describe as "Chinese cultural spaces. Yet how influential or relevant to real-life behavior these net opinions areremains a subject of debate. At the same time, determining what Chinesenetizens want out of the Internet ancl what they allow to shape their attitudes is an equally unclear starting point. In this context, the responseto the 2008 riots in Tibet represents a potentially key moment in politicalparticipation by Chinese netizens. Using an extensive analysis of the existing literature on political expression and a modified version of Yang'smodel for virtual ethnography, this paper addresses the questions of whothe Chinese netizens are, how they typically behave online, how they usedthe Internet during the 2008 riots in Tibet, and to what extent their usagechallenges or confirms existing theories about their online politicalparticipation. The essay argues that while Chinese netizens have expressedan increasing willingness over the past decade to use the Internet tocritically debate political and social topics, they are nonetheless highlynationalistic as a whole and prepared to oppose and organize against effortsseen to harm Chinese prestige.