Internet & Society

swer the question below

What are the 3 phases of the development of China’s network society? Why are these phases important in helping us understand the development of the internet in China?

ANSWER

China’s Network Society

The 3 Phases of the Development of China’s Network Society

The china network society evolved when the internet users were ready to develop the civil society. The China network system focused on resolving social issues through discussion among informed citizens through an increased network of communications such as non-governmental organizations rather than relying on hierarchical, forceful power and buy-off. The inception of the internet in China was focused on developing a liberal framework in the period of great authoritarianism (Qiu, 2019). Therefore, the birth of China’s network society was focused on limiting authoritarianism and arbitrary power and their violence to the people. Additionally, the China network society was also focused on internal diversity to address the questions of institutional reform and economic restructuring. During the rapid time of globalization and industrialization, the china network society underwent three phases: the Coliseums, Bees, and Asteroids. The three phases of the China network society co-occurred within a big media ecology which was connected to the evolving China network society.

Asteroids Phase

The China internet began as a scientific trial marked by an email sent from China during the Cold War. The Asteroids phase was the first phase of the China network society from 1996 until 2003 (Qiu, 2019). The development of the internet came from the aspiration for global connectedness across the great wall. Thus the Asteroids phase was the period of extreme ICT diffusion.

Bees Phase

The Bees was the second phase of the network society from 2004 until 2010. This period comprised intensive, tireless work and the associated rise of Chinese informationalism, which was built of bloggers, workers, and activists. The Bees phase brought about several high-impact events that showed characteristics that varied from those of the previous period.

Coliseum Phase

In 2020, the Coliseum phase became the dominant mode of the China network society, focusing on organizing logic used for information management (Qiu, 2019). The Coliseums phase was constructed on varying foundations, such as the global financial crisis in 2000, which stimulated the cash-rich government of China and the atomization of social life among the Chinese.

Why are these phases important in helping us understand the development of the internet in China?

A network society entails a society made up of social structures powered by communication technologies and micro-electronic technology. The theory of network society focused on social movements, and civil society dynamics coevolved with politics and technology. Ideally, the civil society formations had to be formed based on social networks. The development of the internet began in China around 1994. The three phases of the China network society show the development of the internet in China and the unique patters, with each phase having class relationships, patterns of social and political dynamics, and institutional formation. (Qiu, 2019).

The three phases of the China network society have an important relationship with the development of the internet and the Chinese civil society. The three phases of network society provide an idea of the network society and how the internet has been substantial in the development of China, as well as their relationship with the communication and information technologies that shape the national context of China.

References

Qiu, J. (2019). Three phases in the development of China’s network society. In Society and the Internet, 341-356.