School Successfully Holds Lecture on “Social Media Use and Public Participation Research”

On the morning of December 4, 2022, the School of Languages and Communication Studies hosted a lecture titled “Social Media Use and Public Participation Research”. The keynote speaker was Dr. Louisa Ha, an Eminent Scholar Professor and Graduate Director at Bowling Green State University, former Editor-in-Chief of Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly (the oldest SSCI journal in the field of journalism and mass communication), and founding Editor-in-Chief of the new academic journal Online Media and Global Communication. The lecture was hosted by Professor Su Linsen from the School.

Dr. Louisa Ha began by providing a detailed introduction to the definition of “social”, the classification and common features of social media, as well as the definition, categories, and political types of public participation. She explained that the impact of social media on participation is first reflected in individuals expressing opinions and openly discussing social issues, followed by specific actions. Based on her research on changes in news participation practices from 2009 to 2012, Dr. Ha identified four levels of news engagement: “reading news”, “reading news through different channels”, “exchanging opinions and discussing news”, and “participating in news production”. Through sampling surveys of relevant urban populations, she found an overall decline in the use of news media among audiences, highlighting the need to enhance the appeal of news to younger generations.

Dr. Ha pointed out that due to the impulsive nature of social media posts, people are easily misled by certain information. Additionally, character limits on some platforms often lead to misunderstandings or difficulties in articulating viewpoints clearly. She raised critical questions: How can social media encourage more reflective thinking and clear commentary? How should individuals respect others’ opinions and respond to differing viewpoints? Furthermore, what methods can be employed to promote positive actions, such as volunteering, helping others, building community support, and engaging in public welfare activities? How can social media be leveraged to promote these initiatives? These issues, she emphasized, are worthy of deep reflection and further research.

The online lecture attracted over 200 participants, including students and researchers from various universities and institutions worldwide. During the Q&A session, attendees actively posed questions, which Dr. Ha addressed in detail.

In conclusion, Professor Su Linsen provided a brief commentary, noting that Dr. Ha’s systematic explanation of literature and sharing of research findings were highly enlightening. He once again expressed gratitude to Dr. Ha and encouraged everyone to stay tuned for future lectures in the series organized by the School of Languages and Communication Studies, Beijing Jiaotong University.

编译：梁昱卓