Diasporic citizen journalism: Exploring the discussion on the 2022 blank paper protests in the Chinese twitter community

Abstract

Departing from the conventional nation-state framework, this paper explores citizen journalism from a translocal and transnational perspective. Focusing on Chinese diasporic communities on Twitter, the study presents an explorative inquiry into the phenomenon of diasporic citizen journalism. Through an empirical case study of the 2022 Blank Paper Protests (BPP) in China, the research reveals the pivotal role the Chinese Twitter-sphere played as a vital platform for cross-border news production and sense-making during a critical event. The study also illuminates the diversity, networked dynamics, and internal conflicts within the Chinese digital diaspora concerning the BPP. Theoretically, this paper underscores the imperative need to expand the horizons of citizen journalism research, suggesting diasporic citizen journalism as a new avenue for future exploration. Methodologically, the study showcases the potential of state-of-the-art computational methods, including Large Language Models (LLMs), in advancing journalism research. The methodology employed in this study exemplifies the integration of LLMs to enhance automated topic and sentiment analysis.