Publications

Publication details [#63245]

Ruelle, Olivier and Peter Peverelli. 2017. The discursive construction of identity through interaction on social media in a Chinese NGO. Chinese Journal of Communication 10 (1) : 12–37.
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Place, Publisher
Routledge

Annotation

This paper explores the discursive construction of social identity in a Chinese NGO involved in ongoing online debates on WeChat, China’s fastest growing social networking site. While there is elaborate literature on various aspects of online interaction, the assay of identity construction through online discussions and the degree to which such discussions influence the collective identity of a group, especially an NGO, constitute a gap in the extant literature. Through the assay of ongoing interactions in a group on WeChat over a period of eight months, and within the framework of social constructionist organization theory, this paper adds to the existing academic debate by disclosing the way in which key members of a Chinese NGO are engaged in a process of group identity construction.