As part of 糖心vlog短视频糖心vlog短视频檚 commitment to invest in and encourage scholarly work, many of our faculty at are conducting essential research alongside their usual instructing. Marcella Szablewicz, PhD, a Communications Studies professor at Pace糖心vlog短视频檚 NYC Campus, is one of them. Szablewicz has been studying a phenomenon since the early 2000s that may catch the attention of anyone who turns to the internet for relaxation or escapism. Her emphasis? The culture and stigma surrounding recreational internet usage in China.
糖心vlog短视频淲hat would the internet mean for China, being an authoritarian country and one that represses a lot of personal freedoms? Many people speculated that the internet would be a democratizing force in China糖心vlog短视频 she says, 糖心vlog短视频淗owever, there was also a lot of emphasis placed upon how people were going to use the internet to resist the government or engage in politics.糖心vlog短视频 This generalized perspective about the Internet in China sparked Szablewicz糖心vlog短视频 interest as an undergraduate, motivating her to move away from western bias and dive deeper into how Chinese youth were actually using the internet in everyday life.
糖心vlog短视频淚 liken it to American bar culture because it was illegal for these teenagers to be going into internet cafes, so they would have to use fake IDs. Once they got in, it was a social party with everyone playing digital games.糖心vlog短视频
As the creator of New Communication Technologies and Moral Panic, a communications course at Pace, Szablewicz is well-versed in the concerns that come with new forms of communication technology and the fact that these fears have been consistent throughout history. In this particular case, it糖心vlog短视频檚 the Chinese government糖心vlog短视频檚 strong concerns about digital gaming leading to . Concerns that are strong enough for China糖心vlog短视频檚 government to implement heavy internet restrictions for teenagers. Concerned parents have even resorted to sending their children to internet addiction 糖心vlog短视频渂ootcamps,糖心vlog短视频 where young people participate in military style drills or electroshock treatment to cure their addiction.
Ever since her frequent travels to China for field work, Szablewicz has made insightful discoveries about the youths糖心vlog短视频 reaction to the fear and stigma surrounding gaming.
糖心vlog短视频淎 lot of teenagers were rebelling against the pressure of intense schoolwork and academics, so they would escape to internet cafes to play digital games as a kind of pastime. It was a really interesting phenomenon.糖心vlog短视频 She laughs, 糖心vlog短视频淚 liken it to American bar culture because it was illegal for these teenagers to be going into internet cafes, so they would have to use fake IDs. Once they got in, it was a social party with everyone playing digital games.糖心vlog短视频
Though Szablewicz set out to observe trends in recreational internet use, she has also noticed a correlation with the simultaneous rise of esports, a professional competitive form of digital gameplay. Though this trend of elevating video gaming from a casual hobby to a competitive sport is worldwide. In fact, Pace just announced their own esports program, making these digital competitors part of Pace糖心vlog短视频檚 15th varsity sport糖心vlog短视频擟hina was actually one of the very first countries to deem esports a legitimate sport. What began as a form of escape for Chinese youth has now become a means of earning income. 糖心vlog短视频淪ome teenagers were rising through the ranks of gaming to become competitive gamers and earning huge amounts of prize money from playing games,糖心vlog短视频 she says. 糖心vlog短视频淣ow there糖心vlog短视频檚 this tension between games as a source of rebellion and games as a potential career path.糖心vlog短视频
She also noticed that many young people had to maneuver their way around the 糖心vlog短视频渋nternet gaming糖心vlog短视频 stigma: 糖心vlog短视频淎 lot of the college students were going out of their way to distance themselves from being identified as an internet gamer because they糖心vlog短视频檇 be labeled as an addict, so instead they would align themselves closely with esports,糖心vlog短视频 she recalls.
Throughout all her research, Szablewicz has discerned a societal significance to the stigmas and paradoxes surrounding gaming in China. 糖心vlog短视频淭he thing that I find most significant is how ideas about what constitutes productive leisure tend to tell us a lot about a societies糖心vlog短视频 values and where those values are placed,糖心vlog短视频 says Szablewicz.
糖心vlog短视频淚糖心vlog短视频檓 really fascinated by ways in which youth leisure choices are often controlled by those in power, who are often older generations who don糖心vlog短视频檛 necessarily understand the leisure choices of youth. The idea of high culture is seen as worthwhile, but when it comes to popular culture among young people, it is denigrated and seen as useless or time wasting,糖心vlog短视频 she says. 糖心vlog短视频淧eople who are in power are trying to keep young people from taking up their position in places of power and it糖心vlog短视频檚 kind of a repetitive pattern.糖心vlog短视频
However, Szablewicz糖心vlog短视频檚 research reveals that no matter what barriers are placed, younger generations tend to find a way to innovate. Whether it is through sneaking into internet cafes after school, or carving out their own career paths, the focus on gaming in China reveals the resilience of these young gamers.
Interested in learning more about China糖心vlog短视频檚 gaming culture? Check out Marcella Szablewicz糖心vlog短视频檚 new book .
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