Whose vision is it anyway? The “free internet” in Chinese state media

Summary, in English

This study seeks to explain how Chinese state media bolster the use of visions in global internet governance. The empirical data for the article consists of 1,158 internet related articles published in the Global Times between 2009 and 2018. I develop a theoretical perspective that distinguishes between grand and strategic narratives. Based on a mixed-methods approach, I show that “internet sovereignty” qualifies as a grand narrative since the second half of 2013. State media facilitate this shift with strategic narratives that push the content and context of “internet sovereignty” from domestic political rationales towards a matter of global affairs. The article contributes to theoretical and methodological advancement in textual analysis.

• Author: Stefan Brehm
• Department/s: Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University; Department of Human Geography
• Publishing year: 2021-04-01
• Language: English
• Pages: 12-38
• Publication/Series: Journal of Current Chinese Affairs
• Volume: 50
• Issue: 1
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1868102621998084
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Institute of Asian Studies at the GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies
• Topic: Media and Communications
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 1868-1026