Resinicization and Digital Citizenship in Hong Kong: Youth, Cyberspace, and Claims-Making

Michael Adorjan; Ho Lun Yau

doi:10.18778/1733-8077.11.2.11

Authors

Michael Adorjan University of Calgary, Canada
Ho Lun Yau The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.11.2.11

Keywords:

Hong Kong, Scholarism, Political Activism, Cyberspace, Facebook, Post-Colonialism, Social Constructionism, Post-80s Youth, Netizenship, Resinicization

Abstract

Under the “one country, two systems” model fashioned after its handover to China in 1997, Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China, is to retain its rule of law, capitalist system, and accompanying political and ideological independence. However, tensions remain centered on concerns held by many Hong Kong citizens over the “resinicization” of Hong Kong, related to anxieties regarding the putative erosion of political and ideological freedoms. This paper examines the claims-making of the student activist group Scholarism, who effectively used Facebook to raise awareness of and successfully resist a government proposal to introduce a national education curriculum into Hong Kong schools. Scholarism’s resistance and ability to mobilize mass demonstrations against the government is significant considering the lack of democratic channels in Hong Kong. Implications are explored for the examination of how claims-making in cyberspace impacts the social problems process, especially in non-democratic and post-colonial contexts.

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Author Biographies

Michael Adorjan, University of Calgary, Canada

Michael Adorjan is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Calgary, Canada. His research and teaching focus on youth crime representations and responses, fear of crime, trust in police, and cyber-risk.
Ho Lun Yau, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

Ho Lun Yau graduated from the University of Hong Kong, studying for his Bachelor of Social Science in Psychology and Media & Cultural Studies. He is now studying for a Master of Social Science in Media, Culture, and Creative Cities also at the University of Hong Kong.

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