Citizens' Use of the Internet and Public Service Delivery: A Longitudinal Study of the First-Level Administrative Divisions in China (1997-2014)

Internet Use And Citizen Engagement In China

During the past twenty years, the world has witnessed the exponential growth of the Internet. With the rise of social media platforms in particular, the Internet has transformed into networks of social ties (e.g., social network sites (SNS)) and common interests (e.g., online discussion forums) (boyd & Ellison, 2007; Zhang & Wang, 2010). Consequently, new forms of personalized public engagement have emerged, no longer requiring significant organizational resources nor a shared identity. Instead, people engage with public issues through decentralized content (co-)production and personalized expression that is centered around personal problems, lifestyles, and interests (Bennett & Segerberg, 2012). The structural designs and technological features of new media afford users to talk about public issues with various underlying mechanisms, ranging from liking and sharing online content and expressing one’s opinions, to social conversations and even occasional deliberations (Skoric & Zhu, 2015). New technologies therefore expand the repertoire of communicative practices, allowing for greater presence of grass-roots voices in the public space.