The Cross-Strait Perception of the Taiwanese in Cyberspace: The Case of Xiamen

Abstract

本文探討在跨海峽的網路空間中，特別是在網路社區和部落格裏台灣人的知覺。論文的第一部分是背景介紹，概述跨海峽網路社區，並介紹跨國和跨地區網路社區對社會、政治、文化轉變的廣泛影響潛力，這些轉變在近幾十年來已塑造了含中國大陸、香港、澳門、台灣、新加坡五地的「大中華地區」。第二部分則以跨海峽的網路空間中，廣泛的跨地區和跨國交流為例，分析「台灣人」、「台胞」、「台商」有何不同？網路空間的互動方式如何造成他們不同的知覺？亦即以媒體論述分析法分析廈門網的部落格內容，凸顯社會實踐與政策領域轉變下跨海峽知覺的變遷。在方法論上，本文對社交和參與式媒體作論述分析。分析內容涵蓋了海峽兩岸社會實踐的潛在變化，以及各種政策領域的轉變。

This paper investigates the perceptions of the Taiwanese within Cross-Strait cyberspace with a particular focus on the role of cybercommunities and Blogs. The first section of the paper provides a brief general overview of Cross-Strait cybercommunities and describes the potential influence of transnational and transregional cybercommunities on the broad societal, political, and cultural transformations which, in recent decades, have shaped ”Greater China” including the PRC proper, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Singapore.The second part of the paper deals with examples taken from the wide range of transregional/ transnational communications that can be found crossing the Taiwan Strait within this cyberspace: what are the differences between ”Taiwanese” (Taiwanren台灣人), ”Taiwanese compatriots” (Taibao台胞) and ”Taiwanese business people” (Taishang台商) and in which way does the interactive part of the cyberspace contribute to these perceived differences? A media-based discourse analysis is employed to analyze the Blogs found on the Xiamen Net with the aim of highlighting the changes in Cross-Strait perceptions, taking into account shifts in social practices and policy areas.Methodologically, this study employs an approach that is based on a discourse analysis of social and participatory media such as Blogs. The analysis takes into account the underlying changes in social practices and the shifts in various policy fields on each side of the Taiwan Strait.