Digitally networked public participation and climate change discourse: a study of climate communication in China

This dissertation analyses the digitally mediated, expressive, and networked engagement of Chinese publics with climate change discourse and politics. It examines the multifaceted role of new media in fostering dialogic climate communication, public engagement with climate discourse, and democratically inclusive digital public participation within China’s unique sociopolitical landscape. Presented in a manuscript format, the dissertation consists of three research papers, each focusing on different aspects of digitally networked public participation on China’s premier microblogging platform, Weibo. These aspects include social interaction relationships among actors, discursive associations among concepts, and the dynamic interplay between these social and ideational relations over time. The research draws on multiple theoretical perspectives from communication studies, political science, environmental sociology, and network science. A network-oriented approach and computational data analysis techniques are employed to investigate the relational structure of social and discursive interactions in climate change communication. The findings extend our understanding of social media’s role in public communication and the nuances of environmental discourse and climate politics in China—an important yet understudied country case. The insights derived from this dissertation can help climate policymakers, communication practitioners, and stakeholders develop more informed climate communication strategies, fostering a more informed, involved, and proactive citizenry critical to achieving a sustainable and resilient future.