31st Annual Student Research Conference
A Sociocultural Semiotic Approach to Chinese Social Media
Petra Reeves
Dr. Mary Shapiro, Faculty Mentor
With 873 million native Mandarin speakers and 980 million daily users of WeChat and 376 million Weibo daily users, in just under 10 years the way people use Mandarin and speak on Chinese Social media sites have changed in many ways. This presentation analyzes the way censorship by the Chinese government and other cultural factors have affected the use of Mandarin Chinese on Chinese social media. It also analyzes the ways Chinese social media helps connect Chinese citizens all over the world and the how this connection and changes in Chinese society have influenced changes in the Chinese language. This presentation draws from methodologies and theories from the disciplines of History, Sociolinguistics, and East Asian Studies.
Keywords: Mandarin, Chinese, culture
Topic(s):Interdisciplinary
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 304-4
Location: MG 1098
Time: 1:45