A Study of Danmaku Video on Attention Allocation, Social Presence, Transportation to Narrative, Cognitive Workload and Enjoyment

Danmaku video (video with overlaid comments) is a relatively new social TV format and is getting popular in China. This study conducted a 3-condition experiment to examine Danmaku video watching experience in terms of 5 aspects: attention allocation, social presence, transportation into narrative, cognitive workload and enjoyment. 61 Chinese college students from the Northeast region of US were recruited to participate the study. Result indicated out that Danmaku distracted some attention from the initial video content but fostered a feeling of joint viewing with others. The presence of Danmaku also had some effect on the enjoyment of watching videos, but did not affect cognitive workload or the degree of feeling being transported into video’s narrative

Mock Impoliteness:The case of A Chinese Online Talk Show— Roast!

Mock impoliteness, a term encompassing a wide array of phenomena (e.g., banter, teasing, mocking, jocular mockery, jocular abuse/insults, humour, etc.), has long been grounded in the framework of (im)politeness. It has also been studied under terms such as “anti-normative politeness” (Zimmerman, 2003), “sociable rudeness” (Kienpointner, 1997) and “ritual abuse” (Parkin, 1980). Having attracted a plethora of scholarly attention for several decades (Leech, 1983; Culpeper, 2005, 2011; Culpeper et al., 2017; Mills, 2003; Grainger, 2004; Terkourafi, 2008; Haugh, 2010; Haugh & Bousfield, 2012), the heated debates of mock impoliteness center around (1) its theoretical grounding, (2) its definition, and (3) its relationship with genuine impoliteness, mock politeness and politeness. This thesis contributes to such debates by investigating mock impoliteness in the context of a Chinese game show featuring “roast”, which is of particular relevance to mock impoliteness, focusing on (1) How is mock impoliteness constructed?; and (2) How is mock impoliteness evaluated by the third-party participants?. In investigating the construction of mock impoliteness, this thesis adopts Culpeper (2011) and Culpeper et al. (2017)’s mixed messages and Spencer-Oatey (2002, 2005)’s rapport management as its theoretical frameworks (modification was made when necessary), following a general integrative pragmatics approach (Culpeper and Haugh, 2014; Haugh and Culpeper, 2018), which also takes multimodality and metalanguage into consideration. Evidence shows that mock impoliteness is constructed dynamically, and different types of mock impoliteness show a strong preference for targeting at hearers’ quality face. In investigating the evaluation of mock impoliteness, a specific feature of this data, that is, Danmaku, an online commenting system imbedded in the video frame, allows the access of a large amount of metapragmatic evaluations of mock impoliteness. An effective coding scheme that captures many dimensions of Danmaku data was created for analysis. Then an unusual approach to the data (at least in the field of pragmatics), a machine learning technique –– conditional inference tree model (Hothorn et al., 2006; Tagliamonte and Baayen, 2012; Tantucci and Wang, 2018) was adopted to answer the research question. This method generates clear data visualization based on statistical significance. The results demonstrate that Funniness and Impoliteness are the two most statistically significant factors of evaluations of mock impoliteness. With modification of the theoretical framework and investigation of a rather new type of data, the Danmaku data, this thesis makes both theoretical and methodological contribution to the field of (mock) (im)politeness while redressing the possible Anglocentric bias by offering solid empirical evidence in Chinese data

Popularizing Party Journalism in China in the Age of Social Media: The Case of Xinhua News Agency

The phenomenon of the “popularization” of journalism has become widespread in the process of media marketization, globalization and digitalization. This phenomenon has been studied mostly in the Anglo-American context. This article instead draws attention to China, where the tendency toward popularizing (party) journalism is also occurring but taking a rather different form. It focuses on the case of Xinhua News Agency—the pioneer as well as the most representative case of traditional party journalism in the country. The article considers to what extent Xinhua’s online media content concerning the ruling party since 1949—the Communist Party of China—has been popularized both in terms of content and style. The changes to online media content made by Xinhua are indicative of the extent to which it is possible to combine the status of a state-owned central news organization with a new journalistic orientation that seeks to make the messages from and about the party more appealing to technology-savvy and entertainment-driven audiences in the new media environment in mainland China

Investigating Visual Differences Between Japanese and American Animation

This study looked at animation produced in the US and Japan, in order to discover the visual differences between the two. After sampling from four distinct animations of the US and Japan, over 300 screenshots were captured. A visual content analysis of the 300 screenshots was conducted, focusing on differences in character psychological status and environment rendering. Results revealed that Japanese animation contained at least three times more psychological depictions and used more subdued coloring than American animation. Lastly, using semiotic analysis, the findings from the content analysis were interpreted and potential reasons for the differences between the two animations are discussed

Chinese female representation on short video applications and their perception : Douyin (TikTok) as a Case Study

Gender studies and media scholars have highlighted that female representation in media has impacted how women perceive themselves. In China, prior studies have suggested that the one-dimensional and marginalized female images in media since the 1980s have had an impact on the change in Chinese women’s gender identity. Surveys and research have proposed that women’s identity has transformed towards traditional norms which tightly associate their value with marriage and domestic responsibility. Several studies argued that the issue of problematic female representation had partially progressed with the popularity of social media, including Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok). However, recent literatures suggested that too little emphasis has been placed on the female representations of Douyin and its reception of women. This dissertation strives to provide an understanding of how women’s representations were constructed and perceived on short-video applications in China, using Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok) as the case of the study. The study focuses on the gender perception embodied in the representations posted by accounts presenting as women and their reception of audiences presenting as women. We have employed a qualitative methodology, using content analysis and semiotics to analyze our samples. Samples were selected from popular short videos and relevant comments both posted by accounts presenting as women. Through data analysis, the study revealed a wide range of female representations of Douyin, including ones corresponding to the traditional gender identity, ones partially aligned with it, and ones against it. The result of the study argued that most audiences presenting as women have endorsed representations not corresponding to the traditional gender identity. It also suggested that an insufficiency of representations contradicted the traditional identity of Douyin. The preliminary results of this study throw light on the understanding of the construction of female representations in the Chinese digital environment. Furthermore, the outcomes of this research have contributed to understanding the preferable representations of female users of Douyin, potentially improving cultural products designed for women.Os estudos de género e dos media salientaram que a representação feminina nos media teve impacto na perceção que as mulheres têm de si próprias. Na China, estudos anteriores sugeriram que as imagens unidimensionais e marginalizadas das mulheres nos media desde 1980 têm um impacto na mudança da identidade de género das mulheres chinesas. Foi proposto que a identidade da mulher se transformou em normas tradicionais que associam fortemente o seu valor ao casamento e à responsabilidade doméstica. Vários estudos argumentaram que a problemática da questão da representação feminina tem progredido parcialmente com a popularidade dos redes sociais, incluindo Douyin (a versão chinesa de TikTok). No entanto, literatura recente sugeriu que foi dada pouca ênfase às representações femininas em Douyin, e à sua receção pelas mulheres. A presente dissertação procura compreender como as representações femininas foram construídas e percebidas em aplicações de vídeo curto na China, utilizando o Douyin (versão chinesa de TikTok) como caso do estudo. O estudo centra-se na perceção do género incorporada nas representações afixadas pelos relatos apresentados como mulheres e a sua receção de audiências apresentadas como mulheres. Utilizámos uma metodologia qualitativa, com recurso a análise de conteúdo e semiótica para analisar as nossas amostras. As amostras foram selecionadas a partir de vídeos curtos populares e comentários relevantes, ambos afixados por relatos apresentados como mulheres. Através da análise dos dados, o estudo revelou que havia uma vasta gama de representações femininas em Douyin, incluindo as correspondentes à identidade tradicional de género, as que se alinham parcialmente com ela, e as que se opõem a ela. O resultado do estudo argumenta que a maioria das audiências que se apresentam como mulheres apoiam representações que não correspondem à identidade tradicional de género. Também sugerimos uma insuficiência de representações contraditórias com a identidade tradicional em Douyin. Os resultados preliminares deste estudo lançam luz sobre a compreensão da construção de representações femininas no ambiente digital chinês. Além disso, os resultados deste estudo possivelmente contribuem para a compreensão das representações preferíveis das utilizadoras femininas de Douyin, melhorando potencialmente os produtos culturais concebidos para as mulheres

Reinterpret 4As framework of energy security from the perspective of human security – an analysis of China’s electric vehicle (EV) development

This research addresses two issues: expanding the understanding of human security with the case of China’s electric vehicle (EV) development and examining the human security implications of China’s EV development. This research adopts an online ethnographic method to record very personal driving forces and barriers to China’s EV uptake through the experiences shared by ordinary Chinese people. From a theoretical perspective, this research provides more evidence for the applicability of the broad human security approach in energy security analysis through the case of China’s EV development. By reinterpreting the 4As framework (availability, affordability, accessibility, and acceptability), which is one of the most frequently adopted frameworks in the analysis of energy security on the state level, (Cherp & Jewell, 2014, p. 416), this research challenges the current understanding of human security by demonstrating that threats to human security exist at all levels of development and touch not only the most vulnerable but also people living in well-developed regions in the face of the lasted technological transformation. The analysis of China’s EV development as a strategic energy security consideration sheds some light on the complicated relationship between state and individual security within China’s security discussion. It enriches the understanding of human security by exploring how it has been adapted to the Chinese social and political context. Meanwhile, drawing on the insights from ontological security through the lens of some key indicators (protection, autonomy, and social acceptance), this research emphasises the necessity of incorporating the subjective dimension in human security analysis to capture subjective feelings and psychological factors in everyday security. This research contributes empirically to identifying human security implications of EV development based on the real-life experiences shared by the Chinese people, which may constitute barriers to China’s EV uptake. Informed by the flexible interpretation of security agency offered by the broad human security approach, this research demonstrates that apart from the state’s dominant position as the main security provider, other players, such as carmakers, also play an important role in shaping people’s perceptions of how secure EVs are. Recognising that the misoperation of an automobile can cause serious physical harm to both those on board and other road users, this research argues that ordinary people should not be only considered as the object of protection but also as the agent with the power to exert influence on the security implications of the new technology

'Protecting our best brother China': fangirls, youth political participation and nationalism in contemporary China

The ongoing concern with the intersection of fandom and nationalism has sparked discussions of civic and political participation in different social contexts. This research investigates ‘fangirls’, a young female-led fan community of Chinese pop idols that gained attention from a high-profile event in 2019, the ‘Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement’. Participants from Hong Kong and mainland China engaged in dramatic clashes on social media. The clashes stemmed from the Hong Kong protesters’ condemnation of local celebrities for their silence on sensitive political issues out of the fear of damaging commercial interest on the mainland. In response, the fan communities from the mainland mobilised under the slogan ‘Protect Our Best Brother A’Zhong (China’s nickname)’, flooding to Twitter and Instagram to ‘occupy’ the protesters’ threads. This action turned from a fan-based campaign in defence of the idols into a nationalist movement in defence of China. By doing an ethnographic study with both online and offline components, I investigate the cultural practice, political subject, and historical significance of fangirls. After providing a historical overview of youth political participation in modern China, I lay out the theoretical framework and explain the research design of this study. The first empirical chapter examines the development of China’s idol culture and emphasise the idea of ‘persona’ in fangirls’ activities in a data-driven media context. Fangirls developed distinct principles of action in quasi-political activities that have been appropriated for political participation. Chapter Five then explores how fangirls became nationalists. China was ‘idolised’ as ‘Brother A’Zhong’ and the notion of ‘brotherland’ emerged, while the principles derived from fandom reshaped fangirls’ perceptions of ‘civility’ and ‘rationality’ in the cultural and political realms. The last empirical chapter focuses on the historical significance of fangirls, which has received little attention. I situate fangirls within the history of China’s modernisation and explore how they reimagined their relationship with the nation-state. By a historically informed sociological approach and an interdisciplinary analytical framework, my efforts of revisiting the nationalist expressions of fangirls advance the understanding of both fandom culture and youth political participation

Ludic Dysnarrativa : How Can Fictional Inconsistency in Games be Reduced?

The experience of fictional inconsistencies in games is surprisingly common. The goal was to determine if solutions exist for this problem and if there are inherent limitations to games as a medium that make storytelling uncommonly difficult. Termed ‘ludic dysnarrativa’, this phenomenon can cause a loss of immersion in the fictional world of a game and lead to greater difficulty in intuitively understanding a game’s rules. Through close textual analysis of The Stanley Parableand and other games, common trends are identified that lead a player to experience dysnarrativa. Contemporary cognitive theory is examined alongside how other media deal with fictional inconsistency to develop a model of how information (fictional and otherwise) is structured in media generally. After determining that gaps in information are largely the cause of a player feeling dysnarrativa, it is proposed that a game must encourage imaginative acts from the player to prevent these gaps being perceived. Thus a property of games, termed ‘imaginability’, was determined desirable for fictionally consistent game worlds. Many specific case studies are cited to refine a list of principles that serve as guidelines for achieving imaginability. To further refine these models and principles, multiplayer games such as Dungeons and Dragons were analysed specifically for how multiple players navigate fictional inconsistencies within them. While they operate very differently to most single-player games in terms of their fiction, multiplayer games still provide useful clarifications and principles for reducing fictional inconsistencies in all games. Negotiation between agents (designers, players, game rules) in a game is of huge value to maintaining coherent fictional worlds and social information in some multiplayer games takes on a role close to that of fictional information in single player games. Dysnarrativa can also be used to positive effect in certain cases such as comedy games, horror games or for satirical purposes

Unsettling Translation

This collection engages with translation and interpreting from a diverse but complementary range of perspectives, in dialogue with the seminal work of Theo Hermans. A foundational figure in the field, Hermans’s scholarly engagement with translation spans several key areas, including history of translation, metaphor, norms, ethics, ideology, methodology, and the critical reconceptualization of the positioning of the translator and of translation itself as a social and hermeneutic practice. Those he has mentored or inspired through his lectures and pioneering publications over the years are now household names in the field, with many represented in this volume. They come together here both to critically re-examine translation as a social, political and conceptual site of negotiation and to celebrate his contributions to the field. The volume opens with an extended introduction and personal tribute by the editor, which situates Hermans’s work within the broader development of critical thinking about translation from the 1970s onward. This is followed by five parts, each addressing a theme that has been broadly taken up by Theo Hermans in his own work: translational epistemologies; historicizing translation; performing translation; centres and peripheries; and digital encounters. This is important reading for translation scholars, researchers and advanced students on courses covering key trends and theories in translation studies, and those engaging with the history of the discipline