from wechat warriors to youtube youth: chinese american online activism

from wechat warriors to youtube youth

chinese american online activism celine wei

intro

my brother second generation

my mom first generation

my grandpa first generation

me second generation

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the future of chinese america online

Social media has had a huge impact on the way activism functions. The interactive features and widespread adoption allow users to quickly spread information and rally support.

Though much research and discussion has surrounded online activism, there is a dearth of information on Asian American online activism. What little information there is only centers first generation middle aged immigrants.

This zine is an exploration of the generational gaps and diversity in Asian American internet communities. For a group that can sometime feel adrift and isolated, how can social media help us find community and enable us to take action?

age: 17 second generation social media most formative in understanding asian american identity:

CHARACTERISTICS -considers himself asian american (parents are from asia, lives in/was born in the US. had to acclimate himself to american culture) SOCIAL MEDIA -reddit: found communities and stories he could relate to -facebook: subtle asian traits made him feel like part of a community

people like ryan higa made youtube videos that weren’t explicitly asian american, but still felt more relatable than other youtubers. it was cool to see him make it as an asian american. social media made it easier to see asian americans in our own communities, as well as in the media spotlight. being able to see yourself represented was a positive change.

found myself paying attention to news about hong kong more often, but don’t think these communities have directly made him more aware of asian/american issues. also hasn’t really affected real life except use up time.

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one important motivator for internet involvement beyond consumption is “e-fame,” or popularity amongst a community one of my brother’s proudest moments is getting onto the front page of reddit. as the asian american online community grows, utilizing one’s identity for social capital will often shape the way that online interactions and activism will function.

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the asian american communities that my brother sees himself a part of are often divorced from political awareness or activism, oftentimes only engaging with their identity through consumption, like buying boba and pokemon games. there are also many issues regarding the essentialist nature of many of the memes, as well as overrepresentation of affluent east asians. regardless, these communities provide a sense of belonging and subvert the loneliness that often comes with immigration. being aware of these limitations, however, is key to moving beyond and growing in the understanding of asian american identity and liberation.

age: 55 first generation social media most formative in understanding asian american identity:

CHARACTERISTICS -does not consider herself as part of the asian american community, but does think she is chinese & american. believes that the label is counterproductive to assimilation SOCIAL MEDIA -wechat: can keep in contact with old friends and coworkers. was able attend a college reunion because of the reconnections. is avowedly apolitical, but does believe that it is sometimes unfair for asians

how doeswechatwor k?

itsmai nf unct i onis a chat app that sends free messages to phone contacts. however, it has evolved into a LI FESTYLE.

wechat now has a monopoly over transactions, messaging, news, social media, and business.

the fact that you can only contact people you already have a connection with also lends it an air of intimacy and credibility.

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because of it’s various functions, wechat has become a “superapp” that has slipped into the everyday routine of many chinese people’s lives. as it continues to rise as the predominant chinese social media app, wechat will only continue to expand its reach on both the mainland and diaspora.

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created in 2010, wechat was designed as a mobile messaging app for individuals and small groups. often compared to facebook and whatsapp, it combines the profile features of the first and the mobile messaging of the second, with a higher emphasis on privacy — all personal profiles and both individual and group chats are visible by invitation only.

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wechat has been able to meet all the regulations and regulations that have been put into law by the chinese government. rather than providing actual privacy, wechat has become a tool of surveillance and censorship that helps the government monitor and control the dominant discourse on certain topics that may be controversial.

wechatact i vi sm wechatact i vi sm wechatact i vi sm Ther e’ saphr asei nChi neset hatt r ansl at est o, ‘ Tobeagoodper son,don’ tbet ooCNN. ’ The neologism speaks to a distrust of media that dates back even further. In China, the state media is widely known to tell only the official version of the story, as determined by the government.

As a result, all news affiliated with official institutions is treated with skepticism.

Social media has stepped in to fill the void.

A vi r t ualChi nat own By connecting Chinese American immigrants to their homeland and by providing them the kinds of relevant news seldom covered by mainstream news, fostering collective memory of political struggles WeChat also helps bridge the Chinese American community with broader U.S. society. This empowerment helped enable the uprising against affirmative action.

RealWor l dEf f ect s Chinese Americans organized on WeChat for Peter Liang, a police officer indicted for shooting and killed Akai Gurley, an innocent black man. They claimed he was a scapegoat for white officers who were never indicted, culminating in a protest.

age: 81 first generation social media most formative in understanding asian american identity:

CHARACTERISTICS -considers my brother and I to be american but not himself, despite living here for 18 years and having US citizenship. he says him and my grandma are both chinese in their habits SOCIAL MEDIA -backtochina and wenxuecity: he uses these websites to understand the world. some of it is false, but he thinks that they are mostly correct about american politics, especially regarding corruption.

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age: 18 second generation social media most formative in understanding asian american identity:

CHARACTERISTICS -I consider myself as asian american, as I’m racialized through different psychological and material forces. I think that I can be a sum of my chinese and american experiences, rather than having to make or choice, or be a “blend.”

SOCIAL MEDIA -tumblr: was first exposed to progressive ideas about race, identity, and power -twitter: has kept up with current-day asian american politics and activism in its various forms

bobal i ber all and

much like on other platforms, there is a contingent of asian americans who is mostly unaware of asian american issues and politics, only mobilizing when there is something that is visibly racist.

BEAUTY SUPPLY SHOP INCIDENT a black beauty supply shop owner poster a tweet, which was met with vitriol from asian americans on twitter

what’s lost from this is the antiblack racism from asian owned beauty supply stores, where black people are followed around and treated poorly Korean-Americans cornered the market decades ago by controlling the manufacturing, distribution and retail sale of hair extensions — the moneymaker of the industry that are primarily bought by black customers.

African-American owners believe Korean wholesalers shut them out and only supply Korean retailers.

In, 2017 a North Carolina,Korean store owner accused a black customer of shoplifting and videod kicking, tackling and putting her in a choke hold.

It led to protests, boycotts, and a call for more black-owned stores to take back the industry.

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rather than listen to the background and context that served to explain the original tweet, many asian americans reacted very negatively. always a good sign to claim anti asian bias, while appropriating black hair

the fact that the first user says no one takes anti-asian racism seriously, while disregarding antiblackness in the beauty shop industry, while gabrielle union was fired from agt for expressing concern about jay leno’s dog eating by staying apolitical and comment goes to show lacking historical or current how asian americans context, these asians often haven’t put in end up upholding antiblackness work/activism to call for solidarity.

bl uechecks

these twitter users are also known as “blue-check mark” twitter, and work within the system to achieve asian american equality, rather than trying to deconstruct systems of power, like imperialism and capitalism.

celeste ng, for instance, caught a lot of flak for defending albert hurr’s associates, an asian man who led an effort to harrass and doxx asian american women on twitter. by calling for calm discourse and compromise, those who are most disadvantaged, like the queer folks and women that were targetted, are put in a dangerous position.

this concern for “respectability politics and optics leads to a lot of ineffectual action. in addition, they often overly romanticize centrism and compromise, make false equivalences between the issue of desirability politics from asian men with the violence and harrasment faced by asian women.

The nature of the blue check is acknowledgement from the dominant structure, usually due to some institutional position in power, which means most of them are mainstream writers and reporters. This is usually correlated to class privilege. this institutional inclusion means their politics cannot be radical.

l ef t i st sont wi t t er

these organizers call for radical change of the system. by couching their analysis in larger issues of imperialism, capitalism, and militarism, they also call for abolition rather than reform. many of these twitter users end up arguing with the blue check asian americans. the vast range of politics even among just one social media site goes to show the range of opinions that asian american twitter has. they critique mainstream Asian American political identity as narrowly focused on assimilationism and privilege, while ignoring fundamental questions of social and economic justice on an international scale.

the future of activ ism

FUTURESSSSS FUTURESSSSS FUTURESSSSS with the rise of online communities like subtle asian traits, we see the beginning of the politicization and conscientization process of identity work. while some are aware of larger power structures, however, most users do not wish to be involved in politics.

new chinese social media apps, like wechat, on the other hand, have given first generation asian immigrants a chance to reconnect with people from the mainland, and come together to take action or become more aware. as the internet becomes more prevalent in our lives, we can be excited about the new potentials it brings to us, but also consious of the biases we bring to it. asian american, even chinese american, online communities are also varied with, a wide range of politics and backgrounds. as we move forward, cyberspace becomes a new venue of expression and community.

asian american online activism