Connectivity and college students’ participation in micro-charity: a qualitative study in China

Traditionally, Chinese people are deeply trapped in an intricate web of guanxi and their charitable commitment is mainly limited within close ties. Recently, the rising social media provides new potential for people’s participation in micro-charity online. With connectivity, the socio-technological...

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Main Authors: Xun Lin, Hua Huang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2017-10-01
Series:International Journal of Adolescence and Youth
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2016.1227715
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author Xun Lin
Hua Huang
author_facet Xun Lin
Hua Huang
author_sort Xun Lin
collection DOAJ
description Traditionally, Chinese people are deeply trapped in an intricate web of guanxi and their charitable commitment is mainly limited within close ties. Recently, the rising social media provides new potential for people’s participation in micro-charity online. With connectivity, the socio-technological affordance of social media, people’s participation in micro-charity is imbued with distinct meanings from that in traditional charity. This study drew on in-depth interview with eight college students. The results indicate that the participants’ engagement and commitment are embedded in their interactive activities and end up having significant consequences both for charity and for themselves. During the process, participants undergo rich subjective experience which is clustered around developing connection, fostering engagement, encouraging collaboration and empowering their selves. This study concludes that people’s participation in micro-charity is mixed with connective actions – a hybrid that increasingly applies to life within a space of connectivity in which traditional guanxi is losing its grip on individuals, and blood and clan-ties-based relations are being replaced by large-scale, fluid social networks.
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spelling doaj.art-90cf39f451f643ac812a810418e8873b2022-12-22T01:23:05ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Adolescence and Youth0267-38432164-45272017-10-0122441942910.1080/02673843.2016.12277151227715Connectivity and college students’ participation in micro-charity: a qualitative study in ChinaXun Lin0Hua Huang1Zhaoqing UniversityZhaoqing UniversityTraditionally, Chinese people are deeply trapped in an intricate web of guanxi and their charitable commitment is mainly limited within close ties. Recently, the rising social media provides new potential for people’s participation in micro-charity online. With connectivity, the socio-technological affordance of social media, people’s participation in micro-charity is imbued with distinct meanings from that in traditional charity. This study drew on in-depth interview with eight college students. The results indicate that the participants’ engagement and commitment are embedded in their interactive activities and end up having significant consequences both for charity and for themselves. During the process, participants undergo rich subjective experience which is clustered around developing connection, fostering engagement, encouraging collaboration and empowering their selves. This study concludes that people’s participation in micro-charity is mixed with connective actions – a hybrid that increasingly applies to life within a space of connectivity in which traditional guanxi is losing its grip on individuals, and blood and clan-ties-based relations are being replaced by large-scale, fluid social networks.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2016.1227715Connectivitymicro-charityguanxiqualitative studyChina
spellingShingle Xun Lin
Hua Huang
Connectivity and college students’ participation in micro-charity: a qualitative study in China
International Journal of Adolescence and Youth
Connectivity
micro-charity
guanxi
qualitative study
China
title Connectivity and college students’ participation in micro-charity: a qualitative study in China
title_full Connectivity and college students’ participation in micro-charity: a qualitative study in China
title_fullStr Connectivity and college students’ participation in micro-charity: a qualitative study in China
title_full_unstemmed Connectivity and college students’ participation in micro-charity: a qualitative study in China
title_short Connectivity and college students’ participation in micro-charity: a qualitative study in China
title_sort connectivity and college students participation in micro charity a qualitative study in china
topic Connectivity
micro-charity
guanxi
qualitative study
China
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2016.1227715
work_keys_str_mv AT xunlin connectivityandcollegestudentsparticipationinmicrocharityaqualitativestudyinchina
AT huahuang connectivityandcollegestudentsparticipationinmicrocharityaqualitativestudyinchina