Rethinking civic computing in China

Authors

  • Yubo Kou UC Irvine
  • Bonnie Nardi UC Irvine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v21i7.6655

Keywords:

Umbrella Movement, Weibo, China, Social media, civic engagement, power, Foucault, care of the self

Abstract

Civic computing research is concerned with the relationship of digital technologies to civic participation. We discuss Foucault’s work on the care of the self which considers how a person seeks a certain mode of being such as happiness, perfection, or wisdom. We describe our qualitative study of Chinese mainland citizens who used technologies to understand and participate in political events, in particular the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement. We examine how care of the self offers an alternative, critical perspective for rethinking civic participation and civic computing.

Author Biographies

Yubo Kou, UC Irvine

Yubo Kou is a recent Ph.D. graduate from the Department of Informatics in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. He studies the use of technologies in civic participation.

Bonnie Nardi, UC Irvine

Bonnie Nardi is Professor in the Department of Informatics in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. She has a forthcoming book, co-authored with Professor Hamid Ekbia at Indiana University, Heteromation and other stories of computing and capitalism (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press).

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Published

2016-06-15

How to Cite

Kou, Y., & Nardi, B. (2016). Rethinking civic computing in China. First Monday, 21(7). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v21i7.6655

Issue

Volume 21, Number 7 - 4 July 2016

Section

Articles

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