Junhao Hong is professor in the Department of Communication at State University of New York and distinguished guest professor of Shanghai University, China.

• Table of ContentsIntroduction: An Unprecedented Force for an Unprecedented Social ChangeJunhao HongCh. 1: The Emergence, Development and Evolution of Chinese Social Media Juan Wang, Yang Shen, Junhao HongCh. 2: Social Media and the Changing Political Culture in China Pei-ren Shao, Yun Wang Ch. 3: Social Media, Public Discourse and Civic Engagement in China Yinjiao Ye, Ping Xu, Mingxin ZhangCh. 4: Political Trust and Political Efficacy of Chinese Netizens Naipeng Chao, Guangfeng Yuan, Yonggang Li, Qian Yao, Jiaqi QinCh. 5: Discourse Power Shifting in Chinese Social Media Minghua WuCh. 6: Social Media and Internet Public Events in China Tiance Dong, Chenxi Liang, Xu HeCh. 7: Social Media and Online Opinion Leaders in China Jie Feng, Yang Shen, Junhao HongCh. 8: Public Relations, Social Media, and Public Opinion in China Yang Cheng, Yihui Huang, Chingma

This collection of essays edited by Hong offers readers 16 thoroughly researched studies on the timely topic of social media in the People's Republic of China. Essays range in focus, addressing, for example, the interaction between China's political culture and social media, the role and power of Chinese netizens to impact public opinion, and social media's impact on journalism in China. The contributing authors are university faculty in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the US and independent scholars working in China. Essays are grounded in archival sources, quantitative methods, or in-person interviews, all well documented at the end of each essay. Many chapters provide surprisingly frank assessments of the situation in China today. The essays are mostly well written and accessible to a wide audience…Hong's book fills an important gap in studies on China's social media, as readers now have at hand solid assessments on a range of topics by active scholars in the field. Recommended.