Value and Challenges of Women’s Self-expression in the Era of New Media: A Case Study of Female Bloggers in Mainland China
Abstract
The emergence of new media has revolutionized communication and self-expression, prompting a growing interest in the role it plays in promoting gender equality and empowering women. In particular, female self-expression through new media platforms has become a crucial area of study, as women utilize these platforms to voice their opinions, share their experiences, and advocate for social change. This paper explores the value and challenges of female self-expression in new media through a method of literature review and analyzing the content of female blogs in mainland China. The paper finds that as a new media form, female blogs provide a platform for women to express themselves, voice their opinions, and advocate for equality. However, female blogs also face various challenges in the new media environment, such as gender discrimination, online violence, and privacy breaches. Therefore, people need to pay attention to the self-expression of women in the new media environment, explore more equal, safe, and free ways of expression, and provide more support and protection for women’s voices.
References
- Herring, S. C., et al. (2016). Women and language in digital spaces. In Routledge Handbook of Language and Digital Communication (pp. 109-124). Routledge.
- Guo, X. (2017). Women bloggers’ online activism in China: Examining the role of gender in shaping civic engagement. New Media & Society, 19(2), 261-278.
- Wang, Y., et al. (2018). The power of self-expression: A study of Chinese microbloggers. Telematics and Informatics, 35(6), 1701-1712.
- Henry, N., et al. (2016). The rise of hate speech and the challenges of regulating social media. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 4(1), 160-181.
- Sobel, K., & Dutta, M. J. (2016). Navigating online credibility: How women of color contest credibility challengeson social media. New Media & Society, 18(8), 1657-1673.
- Yang, G. (2016). The power of the Internet in China: Citizen activism online. Columbia University Press.
- Li, Y., &Xu, Y. (2018). Microblogging in China: Political participation and discourse in the age of digital media. Journal of Chinese Governance, 3(4), 417-439.
- Lu, J., &Yan, Y. (2018). Women’s social media use in China: A feminist phenomenological analysis. Feminist Media Studies, 18(2), 274-288.
- Wang, C., & Li, Y. (2019). A study of female bloggers’ self-presentation strategies in China. Information, Communication & Society, 22(9), 1268-1283.
- Chen, Y. (2020). Women bloggers and the media in China: A case study of the blogosphere and its impact on traditional media. Media, Culture & Society, 42(1), 32-47.