Political communication in the age of media convergence in China

This chapter examines the on-going media convergence in China from economic, technological, and political perspectives. It argues that as a consequence of a number of overlapping and interrelated factors and forces, media convergence is another important terrain where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tries to manage and get ahead of the unwanted consequences brought about by advanced media technologies. It shows that media convergence, as a top-down national strategy in China, requires traditional media to harness the advantages of Internet-based technologies to operationalise propaganda. Through review of literature, both empirical and theoretical, document analysis and interviews, this chapter examines in detail how online platforms and the latest digital media technologies are appropriated to serve the Party's on-going media convergence strategy. Despite the complexity, politics and tensions involved in the media convergence processes, we demonstrate that the Party is determined to ensure that the media continue to operate as government propaganda machines for manufacturing public support.