Virtual Ties, Perceptible Reciprocity, and Real-Life Gratifications in Online Community Networks: A Study of QQ User Groups in China

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Author(s): Zixue Tai (University of Kentucky, USA)and Xiaolong Liu (Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, China)
Copyright: 2016
Pages: 17
Source title: Analyzing Digital Discourse and Human Behavior in Modern Virtual Environments
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Bobbe Gaines Baggio (American University, USA)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-9899-4.ch009

Keywords: Human Aspects of Technology / Information Science Reference / Media & Communications / Virtual Communities & Virtual Reality

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Abstract

QQ has been a leading force of China's social media revolution both in terms of its user reach and its socio-cultural impact. This chapter offers an analysis of QQ groups based on semi-structured in-depth interviews of 33 users with a particular emphasis on participants' rationales, motivations, and communicative behaviors as displayed in different types of groups. This is accomplished through interrogating a multiple set of individual, collective, social, and contextual factors that shape group dynamics and individual participation. It also discusses the implications of the findings for the scholarship on online communities in general, and the understanding of Chinese online groups in particular.

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Virtual Ties, Perceptible Reciprocity, and Real-Life Gratifications in Online Community Networks: A Study of QQ User Groups in China

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