图示社会：中国大陆纸质媒介的新功能 : 以《新周刊》为例 [Mapping Society: The New Function of Print Media in Mainland China—the Case of New Weekly]

Abstract

Based on New Weekly, one of the most influential illustrated Chinese magazines focusing on social issues and phenomena, this paper deals with the new characteristics and functions of the Chinese print media today. By describing its development and cover story themes, I argue that the Chinese print media represented by New Weekly doesn’t simply demonstrate how such media attempts to attract readers by taking advantage of its own changing appearance and format, including its design, printing quality, level of advertisements, classification of themes, and so on. Rather, this media is manifesting a changing concpetualization of intellectuals in China today. The Chinese print media, then, has new characteristics. It no longer serves simply as an ideological ‘microphone’ or ‘mouthpiece,’ but rather observes and comments on social issues and phenomena in mainland China. In this way it reflects the changing conception and perception of intellectuals in its own approaches and perspectives. By tracing this historical development, I attempt to indicate that new media like New Weekly actively promotes consciousness of social issues, while reflecting how such consciousness has an impact on everyday life. Such new cultural functions indicate that the print media is able to play a major role in influencing, if not determining, Chinese public opinion.