Mantous and alpacas as weapons of the weak: Chinese spoof video and self-expression online

Abstract

Chinese Web users are using video spoofs in an attempt to reclaim expressive space in Chinese-language cyberspace. In a manner reminiscent of shunkouliu (humorous sayings), that circulated particularly widely during the late 20th century, video spoofs are being used to express discontent with a range of political and social issues and policies while using a veil of humour to obfuscate the target of the satire. These spread of these videos and the ideas they express have caused changes to Chinese Internet regulations.

Speaking up for the suffering (br)other: Weibo activism, discursive struggles, and minimal politics in China

“…Thornton (2002) argues that social criticism and alternative discourses must be articulated in a language that is both indirect and ambiguous. Humor offers such a language, and scholars have investigated how social criticism can be expressed through video spoofs (Lugg, 2013; Meng, 2011), symbolic memes (Tang and Yang, 2011), Internet satire (Tang and Bhattacharya, 2011), and online parodies (Li, 2010). These different forms of online contestation are subtle and thus more apt at creating tiny fissures than causing major social change.…”

“…The literature on humor as a strategy of contestation offers one example of how resistance can be conceptualized as both discursive and subtle (see, for instance, Li, 2010; Lugg, 2013; Meng, 2011; Tang and Bhattacharya, 2011; Tang and Yang, 2011). While humor is a useful starting point to investigate the discourses, counter-hegemonic strategies, and politics of online media in China, it is an appropriate strategy of contestation only in certain situations and for certain social actors.…”

Going Public and Going Global: Chinese Internet Companies and Global Finance Networks

“…With stringent censorship mechanisms in place, boundary crossing and transgressing on the Chinese internet constitute the actual experience of average internet users in China (Yang, 2012). As a result, internet users have grown increasingly adept at using creative expressions (Lugg, 2013;Meng, 2011) and adopting various technical skills such as virtual private networks (VPN) to circumvent official censorship.…”