Understanding the Chinese Diaspora

This book is an interdisciplinary effort, which attempts to clarify the identity formation of the Chinese diaspora in the context of digital media. By articulating the evolution of diasporic Chinese identity and the influences of various, primarily China-based, social media platforms on the Chinese diaspora’s daily social interactions and identity practices, this book proposes the perspective of mediated social interaction as an alternative gateway to an updated understanding of Chinese diaspora in the current media landscape.

By investigating the Chinese diaspora’s social interactions and identity practices facilitated by digital media, the author argues that social media platforms have become a significant dynamic enabling ubiquitous cross-border social, cultural, and emotional connections between Chinese diaspora and their peers in China that shape the formation of diasporic Chinese identity in an influential way.

Lu Jiajie is a Lecturer in Media & Communication at Dongguan University of Technology, China. He worked in the media industry at AGB Nielsen Media Research and Shenzhen Media Group before teaching at university. His research interests include digital media’s influence on society, media use and identity of the Chinese diaspora, and new media technologies. He is the co-author of Digital Reading of Net Generation in China, which examines the practice of digital reading among the youths in China. Jiajie holds a PhD in Media & Communication from Queensland University of Technology.