Congratulations to Yinan Sun for passing her dissertation defense on Thursday, May 9, 2024!
Title of Dissertation:
Exploring Cultural Affordances on WeChat
Abstract:
How social media, culture, and ordinary people as users influence each other is probably one of the most intriguing questions for scholars in the field of social media studies. To respond to this complex query, the dissertation project investigates the interaction between technology, individuals, and culture, utilizing a three-dimensional theoretical framework of cultural affordances, with a specific focus on WeChat and Chinese culture. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were employed based on the authors’ two pilot studies. Data was collected from February to October 2022 through 31 in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Participants included 14 WeChat primary users (Group 1), 10 college students using WeChat and other platforms (Group 2), and seven WeChat product managers/designers (Group 3). Additionally, follow-up discussions, non-participatory observations, and an anonymous voluntary survey were conducted. All were conducted in Mandarin via WeChat video chat due to COVID-19, lasting 60-90 minutes each. In total, seven behavioral changes and three perceptual changes in participants’ ways of using and perceiving WeChat, five cultural changes on WeChat, and one technological change of WeChat emerged from the collected data. The study addressed the pivotal roles of WeChat, ordinary users, and Chinese culture in molding behavioral patterns. Moreover, it discussed the intricate connections between the three dimensions of cultural affordances and explored the nuances distinguishing affordances and agency between human and nonhuman actors. In the end, the research project proposed innovative perspectives and alternative practices pertaining to the utilization and design of WeChat.
Committee Members:
Dr. Daniel D. Suthers (CIS) – Chairperson
Dr. Rich Gazan (CIS)
Dr. Wayne Buente (CIS)
Dr. Min-Sun Kim (CIS)
Dr. Nicole Reyes (The Department of Educational Administration) – University Representative.