April  2021 56
科技、文化與權力
Technology, Culture, and Power

 

本期《傳播與社會學刊》刊登六篇精彩論文。它們分別採用量化或質化方法,探討新聞學、社交媒體、科學傳播、數碼勞工、公共關係、性別論述等不同議題,頗能反映傳播學研究的多樣性。

雖然六篇文章採用不同的理論方法,但都涉及近年影響傳播研究眾多領域的科技。然而,什麼是科技?它帶來怎樣的變化?如何看待科技帶來的傳播與社會變遷?這些問題,只有具體分析才能找出答案。黃天賜等採用個案研究探討香港突發新聞報導的變化,李貞芳等運用實驗法考察民眾對轉基因食品的認知,施琮仁使用台灣傳播調查資料庫分析網路霸凌與自我觀感的關聯。這三篇論文涉及非常不同的科技,包括臉書社交媒體、食品生物科技,也包括警用通訊系統。具體探討的科技不同,所造成的影響自然也大相徑庭。

伴隨科技變化,社會文化亦日新月異。有時是話語層面的「迷思」在現實勞動過程中得以「祛魅」,如陳靜對女性在線教育工作者的分析所展現;有時是普通民眾利用網絡發聲,如吳翠松討論的性別消費爭議事件;還有時是社會組織,包括商家,運用策略傳播管控風險,如姚惠忠等對天貓宣傳失誤事件的內容分析,發掘自嘲策略功效的同時,也體現出網絡環境下企業文化層面的創新。然而,究竟誰是文化變遷的主體?誰又在掌控著未來文化的方向?誰從中受益?誰又因此蒙受損失?得益者是傳統權貴精英?是科技新貴?亦或是普通網民百姓?

這就涉及到權力分佈問題。1920年代杜威與李普曼的爭論至今仍然餘音繞樑。百年後的今天,希望實現底層賦權的讀者也許可在踢踢網路社群看到杜威式的基層民主與社運實踐。然而,近年更常見的是國家機器與企業精英運用法令、公關、算法等機制「製造共識」。這在華人社會及世界各地均為近年的明顯趨勢。

水可載舟,亦可覆舟。傳播科技向來是權力主宰文化的工具。然而在關鍵時刻,新媒體也常能顛覆權貴、改造社會、重新定義文化權力關係。

20213月,喬治亞州亞特蘭大市的槍聲引發反對白人種族主義、提倡亞裔平權、性別平權的「#StopAsianHate」社運。我們在此聲援太平洋彼岸的鬥爭,反對暴力包括媒體暴力繼續毒害人們的身心。為達此目標,傳播學者不但要了解新媒體科技與文化,更應將我們的所學所悟運用到促進社會進步的事業中。批判流行的種族主義、厭女主義話語與行為,是傳播學界共同的長期任務。

願逝者安息!願悲劇不再重演!願我們善用數碼科技產品,改變權力不公,並藉此創造2020年代的媒體傳播新文化!

 

Articles of Communication and Society Issue 56 reflect a wide variety of communication research traditions, using quantitative and/or qualitative methods, to examine topics from news-making to social media, science communication to digital labor, public relations to gender and media. One thread connecting all articles is the factor of technology, broadly defined to include not only social media technology but also biotech and technologies used by special groups such as police communication systems. Another thread is the question of culture, shaped by official discourse, contentious events, as well as corporate innovations. However, who controls technology and the directions of cultural transformation? Who benefit from it? Is it always the traditional elite? Or the new elite of Big Tech? Or ordinary citizens? Answering these questions entails an analysis of power. While some believe in the empowerment effects of technology at the grassroots, the dominant trend in recent years is the growing prowess of governments and corporations in manufacturing consent through legal, PR, and algorithmic instruments.

Communication technology has always been a tool used by power to control culture. But at critical moments, it can also be repurposed to subvert, reform, and redefine cultural power. Moments such as now, when the tragedy in Atlanta triggers the #StopAsianHate movement in March 2021. At Communication and Society, we stand by our sisters and brothers in this struggle for racial and gender equality, through our collective efforts to create a better culture through communication research and through communication technologies. 

 

本文引用格式﹕

邱林川(2021)。〈科技、文化與權力〉。《傳播與社會學刊》,第56期,頁vviii

 

Citation of this article:

Qiu, J. L. (2021). Technology, culture, and power. Communication and Society, 56, vviii.

No.66  2023 October
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No.64  2023 April
No.63  2023 January
No.62  2022 October
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