Virtual “Patriotic Communities” and the Organization of “Smart Mob”: Empirical Evidence from the Globalized Nationalist Movements in the Chinese Community.

This paper addresses the organization of Chinese nationalist movements in 2008. I focus on online facilitation of offline activism for Chinese nationalists. The paper articulates the framing, organizing, financing, recruiting as well as reconfirming effect of cyberspace on social movement. First, the Internet plays a remarkable role in mobilizing collective action across boarders. The BBS forums broadcasts protest appeals and boycotting actions, provides follow-ups and feedbacks, and financially supports upcoming protests. Second, Cyberspace has recruiting effect among the politically inactive population, having engaged a large number of female Chinese. Finally, high technology diffuses nationalist emotions at a global base. The imagined “patriotic community” reconsolidates the nationalist identity in the overseas Chinese community. The data was collected through web-based surveys and content analysis of postings. The research enriches academic understanding of how virtual communities transform public opinion into a new form of globalized cultural trend for a cross-sectional ethnic community. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]