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Research Interests

My research interests are related to social media use and discourse analysis, (digital) media cultural studies, gender in digital society. As a "pre-early-career" researcher, I am doing my best to learn and broaden my interests. If you are interested in my work, I would be delighted to hear from you. 

Social media use and discourse analysis

Social media use is a broad field, I apply discourse analysis to understand:

(1) privacy concerns from users and platforms

(2) how immigrants use social media as part of their daily routine

(3) digital media and hi-tech usage 

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My outputs on the above topics include: 

(1) Understanding privacy

  • Chen, Y. & Liu, L. (2022) Understanding the new privacy policies of Chinese digital platform giants under the first Personal Information Protection Law. Paper presented for the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Beijing, China; July.

  • Liu, L. & Chen, Y. (2022) Experiencing digital privacy: how users understand privacy policies on Chinese digital platforms under the first Personal Information Protection Law. Paper presented for the International Communication Association (ICA) Preconference 2022, Paris, France; May.

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(2) Immigrants' social media use

  • Liu, L., Lim, C. L., Yao, C. & Liao, Z., (In press) Understanding Sweden’s COVID-19 pandemic on Chinese Social Media: Public perceptions comparison between Chinese residing in Sweden and China. In SX. Zhao., et al. (Eds.), Divergent Worlds, One Destiny: Comparative studies on Pandemic control policies and the resilience of societies. Springer.

  • Chen, Y. & Liu, L. (2021) Discourse strategy and cross-cultural identity politics: Discerning how Chinese residing in Sweden perceive and portray Sweden’s COVID-19 response through the study of four WeChat public accounts. Paper presented at the NordMedia Conference 2021, Reykjavík, Iceland (Virtual conference); August.

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(3) Digital media and hi-tech usage

  • Liu, L. & Zhao, H. (2020) Online education is abandoning poor students: an exploration of digital education inequality in China. Digital Culture & Education. Retrieved from https://www.digitalcultureandeducation.com/reflections-on-covid19/abandoning-poor-students

  • Liu, L. & Fu, L. (2020) Hedonism, patriotism, and nationalism: Covid-19 content consumption for Chinese Gen Z. Paper presented at The 12th International Media Readings in Moscow: Mass Media and Communications 2020, Moscow, Russia (Virtual conference); November.

  • Liu, L. (2020) Between marginalised and abandoned: Exploration of digital refugees in China. Paper presented at 7th International Conference on Eurasian Politics & Society, Lisbon, Portugal (Virtual conference); September.

  • Liu, L. (2020) Usage gap revisited: A capability approach perspective of income shapes media usage in Taiwan. Paper accepted at International Conference on New Perspectives on News: Theoretical and Empirical Challenges to Contemporary News Research, Södertörn University, Stockholm, Sweden (Conference canceled due to COVID-19); April.

(Digital) Media cultural studies

I study cultural phenomena related to (digital) media in Chinese and Swedish contexts, particularly the intersection of digital technology and popular culture. 

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My outputs on the above topics include: 

  • Chen, Y. & Liu, L., (2022) Book Review: Artificial intelligence in cultural production: Critical perspectives on digital platforms, New Media & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221101502

  • Liu, L. (2021) Mediatization, digital space, online support: Exploring the transformational practices of the Swedish Church during the COVID-19 pandemic. In M. Dudžáková, M. Bílik, A. Telepčáková, & D. Cséfalvay (Eds.), The World After the Pandemic (pp. 13–23). Kritika & Kontext. pdf

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Gender in digital society

I explore gender in digital society from three perspectives:

(1) women in digital tech companies with my "insider" lens as a former practitioner 

(2) women in different media, mainly focus on the mediatized gender representation

(3) empower sexual and gender minorities in Chinese society

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My outputs on the above topics include: 

(1) Women in digital tech companies

  • Liu, L. & Chen, Y., Media Construction of new feminity and its Re-narration from Feminist Digital Labor: (Counter-) hegemonic Discourse Contestations on a Chinese Reality Show Sisters Who Make Waves. Submitted for the Feminist Media Studies. (Under review)

  • Liu, L. & Chen, Y. (2022) The discursive construction of middle-aged femininity in Sisters Who Make Waves and its counter-hegemonic discourse contestation by female digital workers. Paper presented for the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Beijing, China; July.

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(2) Women in different media

  • ​He, Y. & Liu, L., To fight, to confront, and to resist: Exploring the media representation of Chinese Zhangjie in Sister. Submitted for the Feminist Media Studies. (Under review)

  • Liu, L. & He, Y., (In press) Book review: Difficult Women on Television Drama: The Gender Politics of Complex Women in Serial Narratives, Media International Australia.

  • Chen, Y. & Liu, L. (2021) Power relations and identity construction in the Chinese women who give birth in the medical documentary Shengmen. Paper accepted at the annual conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Nairobi, Kenya (Virtual conference); July.

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(3) Sexual and gender minorities in Chinese society

  • He, Y. & Liu, L. (2022) Real Men Fantasy: Explore the Media Representation of Effeminate Males in China. Paper presented for the 12th Asian Conference on Asian Studies, Osaka University, Japan; June

  • Liu, L. & Yang, Z. (2022) When Chinese female athletes come out on social media: Exploring the interactive discourse of coming out posts on Weibo. Paper presented at the 72nd Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Paris, France; May.

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