Supervisors: Dr. Shakuntala Banaji and Dr. Bingchun Meng
PhD thesis topic: Struggling through words-playing? On the ambivalence of Chinese Internet discourse.
Most of the existing researches have adopted a celebratory tone when addressing the satire Internet culture in China, such as parodies and memes. However, it should be noted that a kaleidoscope of online neologisms have been increasingly used by Chinese in both online and offline contexts, especially those drawing on the changing gender order and class relations with the dramatic social transitions of the country. Multiple power relations intertwine in the changing connotations of these neologisms which, as floating signifiers, are open to be referred to different signifieds according to prevailing political and economic logics. By regarding popular online expressions as discourse, my project aims to critically investigate the social conditions behind them, particularly the historicity of Chinese Internet discourse, the long-standing contestation, negotiation and transformation of it among the state, the market and new media users, as well as the subjectivity of individuals shaped by it.
Research interests: Besides Chinese internet discourse, I am also interested in the political economy of social media, and its influence on journalism.
Email: y.huang23@lse.ac.uk