Tang Xiaobing, East China Normal University
Abstract: In recent years, micro-blog (微博) writing has profoundly influenced the public sphere. Many public intellectuals engage in this new form of public expression and hope it can play a more important role in pushing China to make significant progress in public culture and political democracy. When considering whether micro-blog writing can improve the quality of public debate and play a political role in public life, many scholars come to different judgments and conclusions. Some scholars think that the active micro-blog authors in China are a small part of the whole population and not representative enough. The appearance of Wechat (微信) culture and oppression from the government have rapidly weakened micro-blog writing culture.
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