Weibo in China: Understanding its development through communication analysis and cultural studies

Weibo is considered to be the Chinese media phenomenon of 2010 and 2011.
This paper provides a brief historical overview of microblogging in China and
identifies the social and cultural roles held by Sina Weibo, a multimedia-enabled
Weibo website. Using as case studies three of the most significant news items
and events of 2010 and 2011 on the Weibo platform, we investigate how
microblogging has been used in China and then analyse this using
communication theories. Specifically, communication on Sina Weibo is
examined in terms of impersonal–interpersonal–hyperpersonal interaction;
individual–group–mass transmission fission; and communication interaction,
taking into consideration the involvement of both the multimedia platform and
citizen journalism. The final part of the paper discusses the relationship between
Sina Weibo’s development and Chinese culture—a factor that the authors
believe must necessarily be considered in future studies of Weibo’s growth.