Microblogging and Grassroots Surveillance in China

摘要

Taking the approach of surveillance studies, this research aims to advance a balanced and context-rich understanding of how microblogging affords a variety of surveillance practices over Chinese society and of its impact. The study identifies the distinct features of grassroots surveillance, including anti-authoritarism, decentralisation and poor organisation, as well as rumour, entertainment and violence. Grassroots surveillance, enabled by microblogging, poses challenges to state surveillance, which seeks rationality, efficiency, social stability and solidarity. Grassroots surveillance creates huge impacts on Chinese society, including truth, morality, trust and power. The surveillance structure is experiencing a paradigmatic shift from panopticon to post-panopticon. Consequently, this study identifies a bankruptcy of disciplinary society that is based on panopticon surveillance, but without a possible formation of a controlled society that is based on post-panopticon. Instead, the socia' change enabled, by microblogging-based surveillance falls into what Scott Lash called "disorganization".