Understanding Digital China: Chinese Perspective on Data-Driven Technology

Abstract

Taking the technology-related discourse in the Chinese context as research object, combining automated content analysis, survey, and in-depth interview, this study explores the main discourse frames that Chinese news outlets and social media incorporated to report data-driven technologies and how Chinese technology users perceive and evaluate the cur rent technological trends. The preliminary study discovered that the technological discourse of the Chinese mainstream media were positive in general, which differed a lot from the negative technological discourses in western countries. Though most of Chinese published positive attitude toward technologies, they also showed worries about potential technological risks. We argue that different political cultures and contexts for technology use are likely reasons for these differences between China and western countries.