The Research Of "Gatekeeping" In The Policy Discussion By Microblog

With the self-media’s unique advantages, microblog acts as a new informationsource and a loud-speaker in the Chinese public topic for discussion. Under theimpetus of the web portals, the traditional media and their web portals start theirmicroblogs in China. People’s Daily Online is the first official media website thatopened microblog in China. Then Phoenix Net’s microblog announced its closedalpha. The official microblogs are prospering in one time. Microblog plays an activerole in the process of policy discussion. It combined the public warmth of politicalparticipation with the realistic expression. That highlighted the rights of citizens,strengthened the communication between officer and people, and promoted thepublic decision-making. Without a doubt, policy discussion by microblog let peoplesee the realistic possibility of the construction of the public realm. From “Microblogof Yunnan” to “Microblog’ live broadcasting of forced releasing in Yihuang” andother serious public events, people cheered for the power of “circusee”. The publicdomain constructed by network democracy obtained people’s high praise. Themajority of people thought it was a full success against with traditional"gatekeeping”,“gatekeeper” is no longer a patent of political rulers or media,ordinary internet users joined the queue of "gatekeeper". But the public sectorconstructed by microblog is not so perfect. The government had to put the microbloggatekeeping problem on the schedule because of the conditions emerged in endlessly.“Public sphere of microblog” is media framework established by “gatekeeper”through the agenda setting. And then the media framework constructs the real worldin people’s mind. This real world is that the “gatekeeper” wants the public to see.In the process of such “gatekeeping”, the traditional factors of democracy andfreedom have changed. True democracy and freedom are reduced in virtual publicspace which constructed by microblog, the absolute democracy and freedom onlyexist in idealized “electronic utopia”, which is unrealistic.This paper first described the problems about policy discussion by microblog,the multiple levels of control and control of the two extremes. And that traditional“gatekeepers” really not do anything with the current social truth. The change of “gatekeeping” illustrates well about this point. Then brought the realistic issues intoa deeper level——the political optimistic expectations. In the analysis of the reason,the external environment factor is the objective basis, the media literacy of“gatekeeper” is the subjective basis, and combined with the particularity of policydiscussion by microblog. Finally revealed nature of democracy and freedom in“public sphere of microblog” by analyzed the essence of “gatekeeping”. To warnpeople that there is a gap between the “electronic utopia” and the realistic “publicsphere of microblog”. At the same time, people can not be too optimistic thatignoring the existence of heteronomy and self-discipline.