Participatory perplexities : everyday politics on Chinese social media platforms

This thesis focuses on everyday politics on Chinese social media platforms. It is inspired by a perceived difference between how Chinese people engage in institutional forms of politics versus everyday politics on social media platforms. This difference brings forward participation on Chinese social media platforms. Participation points to the promise that one is involved in decision-making processes, and interrelates the conceptual, the procedural and the experiential aspects in becoming a collective. However, there is a tension between the concept, the procedure and the experience of participation. This tension unveils participation perplexities as the sudden awareness of the lack of a common ground in the collective. Participatory perplexities indicate an awakening and political state situated in the gap where the conceptual, the procedural and the experiential aspects of participation do not match with each other. Extending the discussions on participatory culture and social media, this thesis examines the dynamics in participation and participatory perplexities on Chinese social media platforms. The dynamics include how social media platforms have shaped the participatory condition, and how people respond to and interact with these conditions. I investigate users’ profile pictures of Renren, comments on a videogame walkthrough on Bilibili, messages in a WeChat group and ratings and reviews in two Douban Movie entries, as well as the digital architecture of these four platforms. The four cases introduce the technical structures participation relies upon and the cultural-political surrounding it is embedded in, as well as the forms of communication on these platforms. I argue that participation on Chinese social media platforms produces and is characterised by a variety of participatory perplexities. Participatory perplexities point to the constant concern about one’s belongingness and identity in relation to the collective, but are usually mitigated under an appearance of cohesion