On April 24, Associate Professor Cara Wallis celebrated the publication of her ethnographic study, Social Media and Ordinary Life: Affect, Ethics, and Aspiration in Contemporary China, at a book talk co-sponsored by the Digital Studies Institute. Wallis was joined by Silvia Lindtner and Yi-Lu Wu in a conversation about the process of researching in China.
As stated in the publication’s introduction, Social Media and Ordinary Life seeks to add scholarship on the specificities of media networks and social life in China while also contributing to broader conversations and analyses that decenter and de-westernize media and communication scholarship. Wallis’ research highlights four marginalized groups in China: disadvantaged young creatives, rural micro-entrepreneurs, domestic workers, and young feminists. The scope of life in China broadens with each chapter. The author initially focuses on the individual and progressively expands the research to encompass families, communities, and networks.
Each marginalized group has a unique and complex relationship with social media and how it is integrated into their lives. Some use online platforms to express their political beliefs despite frequent censorship, and others use them to find support. The use of technology, and specifically social media, is intertwined with a hope for a better future.
Social Media and Ordinary Life was published by the New York University Press, and more information can be found here.
