My Work
Publications
Book
Chen, S, H., Lunt, P. (2021) Chinese Social Media: Face, Sociality, and Civility. Emerald PUBLISHING, United Kingdom.
Peer reviewed papers:
Peng, A. YZ., Chen, T. Z., Chen, S. H. (2023) A wen-wu approach to male teenage Chinese sports fans’ heteronormative interpretation of masculinity. Feminist Review DOI:10.1177/01417789231155896
Chen, S. H (2022) British dairy farmers’ management attitude toward agricultural plastic waste: reduce, reuse, recycle. Polymer International. 71(12). Pp. 1418-1424. http://doi.org/10.1002/pi.6442
Peng, A. YZ., Chen, S. H. (2021) Traditional Chinese medicine works: A politicized scientific debate in the COVID19 Pandemic. Asian Journal of Communication, DOI:10.1080/01292986.2021.1913618
Chen, S. H., Lunt, P. (2021) Chapter 9 Mobile Socialites in Beijing: Young adult Chinese WeChat users’ mediated social relations between tradition and modernity. In Hill, A., Hartmann, M., Andersson, M.(eds). The Routledge Handbook of Mobile Socialites: London. Pp. 145-158.
Lits, B., Chen, S. (2020) Book review on ‘Super-sticky WeChat and Chinese Society. Global Media and China. 5(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2059436420965265)
What role does social media play in the lives of Chinese youths as they adapt to the rapid economic and social changes in modern China? This book examines the social media experiences and practices of young middle class Chinese who moved to Beijing to study and with the hope of work and participation in the possibilities of social and professional life. Through an analysis of their use of WeChat we explore their enthusiasm for self-expression online, their mediated social relations (guanxi) with family, friends, classmates and colleagues and their engagement with questions of online civility.
We argue that sustaining personal and social relationships in the context of China's modernity, including its soft regulation of internet and social media, demands new norms of positivity and online civility. This is framed by several tensions: between emerging opportunities for freedom of expression and long-standing traditions of social identity and reputation such as face (lian and mianzi); between traditional obligations to parents (xiaoshun) and the desire for personal autonomy; and the pressure to constitute and govern the internet as a space of positive energy and civility in support of national Chinese sovereignty. The social media practices and deliberations of the participants reveal a fascinating amalgam of traditional Chinese culture and philosophy and reflections on tradition and collectivism combined with an embrace of Western-influenced ideas of positive psychology, self-expression, social networks and pragmatic social relations.
Teaching
I am a PhD supervisor, currently supervising two PhD students at UAL who are exploring fascinating topics related to elder celebrity and feminism on TikTok.
I am also a Year Lead for Year 3 BA Public Relations students at UAL.and am responsible for overseeing the welfare and academic progress of the final-year students.
I am also teaching the following units at UAL:
Media Research Methods
Persuasion and Public Opinion
Sustainable Strategic Communication
Promotional Media and Culture