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The ‘Making’ of an Online Celebrity: A Case Study of Chinese Rural Gay Couple An Wei and Wu Yebin

Jia, Lianrui and Zhou, Oscar Tianyang (2017) The ‘Making’ of an Online Celebrity: A Case Study of Chinese Rural Gay Couple An Wei and Wu Yebin. In: Kent, Mike and Ellis, Katie and Xu, Jian, eds. Chinese Social Media: Social, Cultural, and Political Implications. Routledge, pp. 42-58. E-ISBN 978-1-315-16021-4. (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:97598)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided. (Contact us about this Publication)
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https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9...

Abstract

According to the 2016 China Internet Network Information Centre's Internet development report (CNNIC), the total Chinese internet user population reached 688 million at the end of 2015. French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's concept of symbolic capital provides a theoretical framework in our understanding of An and Wu's case. Bourdieu's theory acknowledges individual agency while also taking into consideration the social and political structures in analysing social changes. Bourdieu's social theory has informed a wide range of research in media studies. Bourdieu argues that social life must be understood in terms that do justice to both the objective material, the social and cultural structures and the constituting practices and experiences of individual and groups. The popularisation of the internet in China seems to offer new opportunities to Chinese gay men who have previously been marginalised and underreported by Chinese mainstream media. An and Wu's story can also be considered in its approach to traditional Chinese family values.

Item Type: Book section
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Women > HQ21 Sexual behavior and attitudes
H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Arts
Depositing User: Oscar Zhou
Date Deposited: 26 Oct 2022 10:47 UTC
Last Modified: 26 Oct 2022 10:47 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/97598 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Zhou, Oscar Tianyang.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9170-9351
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