WeChat Usernames: An Exploratory Study of Users' Selection Practices.
As one of the most popular social networking applications in China, WeChat has recently attracted scholarly attention. To date, these studies have tended to concentrate on how it has been used as a social networking and emerging business model. However, little is known about the practices users foll...
| Published in: | Names: A Journal of Onomastics Vol. 68; no. 3; pp. 156 - 169 |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
University of Pittsburgh
Sep2020
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=144988658&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 144988658 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00277738 2KE jtl: Names: A Journal of Onomastics issn: 00277738 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Sep2020 vid: 68 iid: 3 pid: 60406 pub: University of Pittsburgh artinfo: ui: 144988658 10.1080/00277738.2020.1758493 ppf: 156 ppct: 13 formats: tig: atl: WeChat Usernames: An Exploratory Study of Users' Selection Practices. aug: au: Xu, Xing Huang, He Jiang, Ting Zou, Yuanpeng affil: School of International Relations, Sichuan International Studies University, Chongqing, China Research Center for Language, Cognition and Language Application, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China su: WeChat (Web resource) Computer user identification Internet forums Online social networks China sug: subj: China WeChat (Web resource) Computer user identification Internet forums Online social networks keyword: acquaintance network internet online discourse usernames ab: As one of the most popular social networking applications in China, WeChat has recently attracted scholarly attention. To date, these studies have tended to concentrate on how it has been used as a social networking and emerging business model. However, little is known about the practices users follow when selecting usernames on WeChat. Using an onomastic lens, this study addresses this gap by examining 501 WeChat usernames. With data collected through an online survey, this study first investigates categories emerging from the name corpus and explores the reasons behind each of these categories. It then analyzes the sociocultural ramifications embedded within this use of names. As one of the first of its kind, the article provides key insight into how the interplay of online discourse, acquaintance networks, and Chinese culture contribute to the development of this important onomastic phenomenon. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y dt: @attributes: year: 2020 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
|---|