Changing Public Opinion: A Study on the Impact of Sina Weibo on the Formation of Public Opinion in Mainland ChinaChapter 1: Introduction1.1. Context Public opinion, as a key notion of Habermas' (1989) Public Sphere Theory, refers to a collective consensual view on social issues. Since the generation of public opinion involves the acquisition of information about society, the new communication channels introduced today by computer-mediated technological innovations have largely transformed the way the public obtains information, discusses common issues and therefore the way where public opinion is formed. . Among these new channels, social media has attracted numerous scholars to examine their impact on the democratization of society. While the use of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube is becoming increasingly widespread in most parts of the world, mainland China represents a typical exception where access to Western social media has been blocked since 2009 (Sullivan, 2012). Instead, media companies in China have developed their own social media, which they claim to follow the rules of Chinese information regulation. Launched in 2009, Sina Weibo has become the most popular microblogging site in mainland China, with user numbers exceeding 500 million by the end of 2012 (ChinaDaily, 2013). It has been increasingly used by Chinese netizens as a tool to disseminate information and discuss social issues.1.2. Research questions and hypotheses This thesis attempts to explore what influences Sina Weibo has led to the formation of public opinion in mainland China. It aims to test the hypothesis that, although Sina Weibo functions in a restrictive economic and political context in mainland China, the freedom to choose the style of...... middle of paper ...... here and beyond . In Chadwick, A. and Howard, P. (eds.) Handbook of Internet Politics (pp. 230-145). London: Routledge.Qiang, X. (2011). The rise of online public opinion and its political impact. In Shirk, SL (ed.) Changing the Media, Changing China. (pp. 202-224). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Schroder, K. C. (2002). Mediated fiction. In Jensen, K.B. (Ed.) A handbook of media and communication research: Qualitative and quantitative methodologies (pp. 98-116). London and New York: Routledge.Sullivan, J. (2012). A tale of two microblogs in China. In media, culture and society. 34(6), 773-783. DOI: 10.1177/0163443712448951.Sullivan, J. (2013). Chinese Weibo: Is Faster Different? In media, culture and society. 16(1), 24-37. DOI: 10.1177/1461444812472966.Yu, L., Asur, S. & Huberman, B. A. (2011). What trends in Chinese social media. DOI:10.2139/ssrn.1888779.