A Research on the Online Expression Practices of College Students Under the Background of New Media Empowerment: Taking the College Campus Wall on WeChat as an Example

Meihua Cheng; Ziqing Liao

doi:10.30560/hssr.v8n5p55

Meihua Cheng School of Publishing, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, China
Ziqing Liao School of Publishing, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30560/hssr.v8n5p55

Keywords: new media empowerment, online expression, online violence, the undergraduate population

Abstract

New media empowerment has enhanced college students' self-awareness and endowed them with more discursive power. They can utilize new media to express themselves and speak freely. However, in real situations, this is not necessarily the case. When engaging in online expression, college students also encounter numerous obstacles. This has caused them to gradually transition from "active expression" at the beginning to "silent screen-watching", thus plunging into a deeper sense of loss and solitude. Meanwhile, they have explored a series of self-regulation methods and have not abandoned their efforts to resist. Nevertheless, merely relying on these measures is insufficient if we hope to help restore the gradually weakening voices of college students in online expression. It requires the combined efforts of various parties, including individuals' courage to face challenges, the guidance of online communities, and the regulation of the government. Only in this way can we maintain the harmony and stability of the online expression environment and truly enable college students to fully showcase themselves and express bravely in the tide of new media empowerment.

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