Masaryk university

Limitations

Finally, I should acknowledge the limitations of this study. Although this research presents a relatively large sample covering evidence of variety aspects of Weibo use and collective action involvement, the findings are from a sample of which the majority is young Weibo users with a higher education. Young college students or college graduates might have more interest in politics than other Weibo user groups. It would be interesting to see whether the relationship between Weibo use and collective action we find here still holds true for other groups of Weibo users.

This research is based on a self-reported questionnaire and online interview. It would be useful if future research could explore related topics by using content analysis of Weibo posts. Since the censorship on Weibo deletes many posts with sensitive information, it would be necessary for the researcher to keep a live record of the collected posts.
Even though foreign microblog websites like Twitter and Google+ are blocked in China, there are still a large number of users using VPN tools to visit those websites. It is known as “wall-jumping technique” in reference to crossing over the Great Firewall. Social network sites outside the firewall appear to be a more contentious arena for political debates and discussion, as well as incubating a lot of collective action. To study how and why netizens log into those foreign SNSs and their influence in collective action involvement would be an interesting topic for future research.
In the meantime, it would be interesting to find whether collective action mediated through Weibo can be turned into an offline social network that could be sustained after the action.

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Name Index
Boase, Jefferey, 78

Brunsting, Suzanne, 21

Bryman, Alan, 27, 30, 40

Cai, Yongshun, 68

Carroll, John M., 78

Chen, J., 28

Christensen, Henrik Serup, 76, 78

Couper, Mike P., 27

Escher, Tobias, 21

Foehr, Ulla G., 66

Freelon, Deen, 14

Gao, Jing, 30, 31

Gladwell, Malcolm, 76

Glynn, Carroll J., 16

He, Qinglian, 30

Hoffman, Lindsay H., 16

Holbert, R. Lance, 25

Horrigan, John B., 77

Huge, Michael E., 16

Jianrong, Yu, 22, 32

John, Peter, 21

Johnson, Philip R., 16, 41

Kavanaugh, Andrea, 77

Klandermans, Bert, 15

Kuper, Simon, 66

Kwak, Nojin, 25

Laer, J. Van, 25

LaFraniere, Sharon, 30

Lampe, Clifford, 21

Liu, Zheng, 29

Lu, Gang, 11

MacKinnon, Rebecca, 66

Madge, Clare, 30

Margetts, Helen, 21

Melucci, Alberto, 21, 77

Morozov, Evgeny, 76

Myers, Daniel J., 15

Nguyen, Timothy, 21

Nouwen, Sarah M. H., 66

Obar, Jonathan A., 20, 21

O'Connor, Henrietta, 30

Ogilvy PR and CSIC, 76

Olson, Mancur, 20, 77

Postmes, Tom, 20

Rainie, Lee, 77

Reese, Debbie Denise, 77

Reissfelder, Stephane, 21

Rideout, Victoria J., 66

Roberts, Donald F., 66

Ronald D. Fricker, Jr, 28

Rosson, Mary Beth, 77

Shah, Dhavan V., 25

Shi, Tianjian, 27, 29

Shuang, Xiang, 26

Sina Weibo, 16

Spier, Shaked, 21

Sullivan, Jonathan, 13, 17, 66, 75, 78

Wang, Xiaoru, 22, 75

Wang, Yan, 6

Wellman, Barry, 77

Werner, Wouter G., 66

Wines, Michael, 30

Wu, Guoguang, 22

Yan, Duan, 13

Yang, Guobin, 7, 16, 17, 18, 19, 67, 78

Yang, Sung-Un, 16, 41

Yin, Cao, 13

Zhao, Hong Wei, 26

Zheng, Yongnian, 22

Zube, Paul, 21

APPENDIX A SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
Hello! I am sociology master student of Masaryk University. I am conducting a survey for my dissertation. I would like to ask you a few questions about microblog use. The whole survey only takes 2-5 minutes. All the information collected from this survey will only be used for academic purpose and will not be released to any other people. Thank you very much for your time!

1. 
   Are you a microblog user?
   

Yes----to the next question

No---- to Q1-12 end

Because I try to get responses from people who come from different backgrounds, I would ask you a few questions that will help me make sure that I have reached people of different age, sex and so on.

2. 
   Sex:
   

Male

Female

3. 
   Age:
   

1. 
   Below 13
   
2. 
   13-17
   
3. 
   18-25
   
4. 
   26-39
   
5. 
   40-59
   
6. 
   60 and above
   

4. 
   What is the highest education level you have achieved?
   

1. 
   Primary school and below
   

1. 
   Junior high school
   
2. 
   Senior high school
   
3. 
   Technical high school
   
4. 
   Technical college
   
5. 
   Bachelor
   
6. 
   Master
   
7. 
   PhD
   
8. 
   Above PhD
   

5. 
   Are you currently a student? If so, at what level?
   

Yes, please specify…………

No

6. 
   Where are you from?
   

Province:

Abroad

7. 
   What is your current occupation?
   

8. 
   What is your political party affiliation?
   

Communist Party member ____ Youth League member ____ Other party ____ Non-party affiliation ____

9. 
   What is your estimated individual monthly income (RMB)?
   

1. 
   No income
   
2. 
   Below 500
   
3. 
   501-1000
   
4. 
   1001-1500
   
5. 
   1501-2000
   
6. 
   2001-3000
   
7. 
   3001-5000
   
8. 
   5001-8000
   
9. 
   Above 8000
   

10. 
    Do you own a computer?(How many)
    

a.1

b.2

c.3 and above

d. none

11. 
    How do you access the Internet?
    

a. My own computer

b. My own mobile device (cell phone, tablet, smart phone)

c. At an Internet cafe

d. Somewhere else – please specify____

12. 
    What is your primary source of news?
    

1. 
   Newspaper
   
2. 
   Magazine
   
3. 
   Television
   
4. 
   Internet Websites
   
5. 
   Blogs
   
6. 
   Microblogs
   
7. 
   Other, Please specify
   

13. 
    How long have you been using microblog(s)?
    

………….Year(s)………….Month(s)

14. 
    Which microblog(s) you usually use?(Multiple answers)
    
    1. 
       Sina Weibo
       
    2. 
       Sohu Weibo
       
    3. 
       Tencent Weibo
       
    4. 
       Netease Weibo
       
    5. 
       Fanfou
       
    6. 
       Digu
       
    7. 
       Tianya Weibo
       
    8. 
       Others
       

15. 
    Do you access more than one microblog? If so, please list the ones you visit.
    

…………………………….

16. 
    How many days a week do you access microblog(s)?
    

a. 7 days b. 6 days c. 5 days d. 4 days e. 3 days f. 2 days g. 1 day

17. 
    Approximately, how many times a day do you access microblog(s)?
    

……...times

18. 
    On the days you visit microblog(s), how much time total do you spend on microblog(s)?
    

………….Hour(s)…………Minute(s)

19. 
    Where one means Rarely and five means All The Time, how often do you post the following contents on your microblog? (0 indicates never)
    

1. 
   Corruption and power abuse
   
2. 
   Policy related issues
   
3. 
   Environmental issues
   
4. 
   Rights related issues
   
5. 
   Food safety
   
6. 
   Online charity
   
7. 
   Your own personal status
   

20. 
    Where one means Rarely and five means All The Time, how often do you forward the following contents on your microblog? (0 indicates never)
    

1. 
   Corruption and power abuse
   
2. 
   Policy related issues
   
3. 
   Environmental issues
   
4. 
   Rights related issues
   
5. 
   Food safety
   
6. 
   Online charity
   
7. 
   Other users’ personal status
   

21. 
    what is the main reason(s) you access microblog(s)?[multiple answers Question]
    

1. 
   To relax and have fun.
   
2. 
   To see what others are up to
   
3. 
   To pass the time
   
4. 
   To express myself freely
   
5. 
   To keep in touch with friends or family.
   
6. 
   To communicate more easily.
   
7. 
   To communicate with many people
   
8. 
   To get information (facts, links, news, knowledge, ideas).
   
9. 
   To give or receive advice.
   
10. 
    To learn new things.
    
11. 
    To meet new people.
    

n. To share information with others (facts, links, news, knowledge, ideas).

o. To participate in discussions.

p. Other(s) please specify……….

22. 
    Have your posts on microblog(s) ever been deleted by the administrator?
    

a. yes to Q18

b. no to next question

23. 
    How many times have your posts been deleted by the administrator?
    

a. Less than 5 times

b. 5-10 times

c. more than 10 times

d. too much, I can’t remember

e. Never

24. 
    What were the topic(s) of your deleted post(s)?
    

…………………………………………….

25. 
    How do you think news from microblog(s) and mainstream media (for example: Television, newspapers) are different? Why?
    

……………………………………………….

26. 
    How do you think news on microblog(s) and news on major website(s) (like sina news, ifeng news, sohu news, renmingwang news) are different? Why?
    

……………………………………………………

27. 
    Have you heard about the events that occurred in Wukan?
    

a. Yes (go to next question)

b. No (go to Q23)

28. 
    How did you hear about Wukan?
    

a. Television

b. Newspaper

c. Major news websites (Like sina news, ifeng news, sohu news, renmingwang news)

d. Blog(s)

e. Microblog(s)

f. Others please specify…………..

29. 
    In your own words, please tell me what happened in Wukan?
    

………………………………………

30. 
    Now, I would like to ask you some questions about your participation in public life. Would you please tell me if in the past two years you have…?
    

a. Voted for deputies to the local People‘s Congress? Yes__ No __ Don‘t know __

b. Contacted leaders, local people‘s deputies or authorities? Yes__ No __ Don‘t know __

c. Worked on behalf of a social group, cause, or organization? Yes__ No __ Don‘t know __

d. Contacted editors/reporters from the media? Yes__ No __ Don‘t know __

e. Donated blood, food, or clothing? Yes__ No __ Don‘t know __

31. 
    Have you done any of the following things within the past year?
    

1. 
   Sign an petition Yes__ No __ Don‘t know __
   
2. 
   Join a boycott Yes__ No __ Don‘t know __
   
3. 
   Attend an online protest (like virtual sit-in, online demonstration, forward a protest email or microblog post) Yes__ No __ Don‘t know __
   
4. 
   Join an offline protest( like strike, boycott, demonstration, etc) Yes__ No __ Don‘t know __
   
5. 
   Join in an microblog driven event (like find kidnapped children, donate for homeless people, send book to village, etc) Yes__ No __ Don‘t know __
   

32. 
    (Based on yes from Q24) Have you got the news of the events listed in Q24 from microblog?
    

a. yes

b. no

33. 
    (Based on Yes from Q24) How often have you participated in the following events before the use of microblog?
    

Often (once a week or more) Regularly (at least once a month) occasionally (a few times a year) never

1. 
   Sign an petition
   
2. 
   Join a boycott
   
3. 
   Attend an online protest (like virtual sit-in, online demonstration, forward protest email or microblog post)
   
4. 
   Join an offline protest ( like strike, boycott, demonstration, etc)
   
5. 
   Join in a microblog-driven event (Like find kidnapped children, donate for homeless people, send book to village, etc)
   

34. 
    (Based on Yes from Q24) How often have you participated in the following events after the use of microblog?
    

Often (once a week or more) Regularly (at least once a moth) occasionally (a few times a year) never

6. 
   Sign an petition
   
7. 
   Join a boycott
   
8. 
   Attend an online protest (like virtual sit-in, online demonstration, forward protest email or microblog post)
   
9. 
   Join an offline protest ( like strike, boycott, demonstration, etc)
   
10. 
    Join in a microblog-driven event (like find kidnapped children, donate for homeless people, send book to village, etc)
    

35. 
    (Based on yes from Q24) Are the following people also active in joining the events listed in Q24?
    

1. 
   Your family yes__ no___ Don’t know____
   
2. 
   Your friends
   
3. 
   People from your political party
   
4. 
   People from your non-profit organizations
   
5. 
   Your online friends
   
6. 
   The stranger(who doesn’t belong to any of the options above) you followed on microblog
   
7. 
   The stranger(who doesn’t belong to any of the options above) following you on microblog
   

36. 
    (Based on yes from Q24) What are the issues concerned in joining those events listed in Q18?
    

1. 
   Corruption and power abuse yes__ no___ Don’t know____
   
2. 
   Government policy related issues
   
3. 
   Environmental issues
   
4. 
   Rights related issues
   
5. 
   Food safety
   
6. 
   Your personal interest
   
7. 
   Other Please specify……..
   

37. 
    Now you will read a statement about the Internet. Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with the following statements?
    

a. The government can track you down on the Microblog.

Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly Disagree ____ Don‘t know
b. What you do on microblog is monitored by cyber-police.

Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly Disagree ____ Don‘t know

c. The government can punish you severely for the content of your microblog posts

Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly Disagree ____ Don‘t know

d. You have enough computer knowledge to make sure that you will not be caught doing anything undesirable on microblog.

Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly Disagree ____ Don‘t know

e. There are so many people and messages online no one would notice what you do on the Internet.

Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly Disagree ____ Don‘t know

f. Your posts on microblog can have offline impact

Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly Disagree ____ Don‘t know

g. Microblog can broadcast news that is otherwise censored in mainstream media (television and newspaper)

Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly Disagree ____ Don‘t know

h. Microblogs promote freedom of speech

Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly Disagree ____ Don‘t know

i. Microblogs will surpass mainstream (television and newspapers) media as primary sources of news

Strongly agree ____ Agree ____ Disagree ____ Strongly Disagree ____ Don‘t know

1^ Cold joke resembles to black humor.