SMS in China: A Major Carrier of the Nonofficial Discourse Universe |
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| Authors: | Zhou He |
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| Institution: | Department of English and Communication , City University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong |
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| Abstract: | As communism loses its tenets as a genuinely believed ideology and becomes a ritualized facet of a regime that strives to prolong and justify its politically and morally shaky mandate, there have emerged two distinct discourse universes in China: the official one and the nonofficial one. Taking advantage of new communication technologies, the nonofficial discourse universe extends its boundaries to such platforms as the Internet and SMS (Short Message Service) messages. This paper examines SMS as a major carrier of the deviant discourse in the following aspects: the development of cell phones from an interpersonal communication technology to a quasi-mass communication channel; the spread of deviant expressions through it; the making of the deviant discourse through SMS; the government's control over SMS; and the role of SMS in increasingly pluralistic political undercurrents in various discourse universes in China. |
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| Keywords: | Chinese political discourse media in China mobile communication mobile media political communication in China Short Message Service |
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