Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with General Secretary of the Supreme Leader as the core has attached great importance to the construction of discourse system and communication ability, and stressed the need to "carry forward the main theme and spread positive energy" to enhance Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s road confidence, theoretical confidence, institutional confidence and cultural confidence. The construction of China’s characteristic discourse system and communication ability is not only related to political recognition and popular support, but also related to the shaping and management of China’s national image, social governance and crisis response, thus forming an important part of the modernization of national governance system and governance capacity.
The research shows that western media hold more than 90% of the world’s news information resources, and nearly 70% of overseas audiences know about China through western media, while quite a few western media still wear colored glasses to observe China and report on China, resulting in a large number of false or even distorted reports. This kind of discourse based on external position, after "export to domestic sales", often has a huge impact on domestic public opinion. However, our own discourse influence failed to achieve the expected effect. From the perspective of the construction and dissemination of discourse system, the construction and dissemination of the mainstream discourse system in contemporary China still sticks to traditional practices in thinking mode, expression form and communication platform, and fails to adapt well to the changes of the times, especially the changes of audiences. Strengthening audience awareness, studying the changes of the audience, grasping the characteristics and needs of the audience, and establishing a communication mechanism centered on the audience are major issues that mainstream discourse communication must face directly.
First, the audience has become the most important factor in determining the communication effect.
In the process of discourse system construction and communication, discourse, mechanism and audience are the three core elements. To achieve effective communication, the three are indispensable and must adapt and coordinate with each other. Inefficient or ineffective communication is often the weakness or imbalance of the above three elements. In a word, discourse is the foundation of communication. Without a strong and effective discourse system, communication will become passive water and rootless wood. Mechanism is the wing of communication. Although it has a good discourse system, it lacks appropriate and effective communication channels and technologies, and communication has become a american mouth. But what really determines the choice of discourse and mechanism is the audience.
Traditional communication theory advocates that "media is communication" because in the non-information age, monopolizing the media also monopolizes communication. However, in the information age, the cost of monopoly media is extremely high and almost impossible, and the audience is no longer passively accepting information, but actively choosing information. Only the communication selected and accepted by the audience is effective communication, and the audience has become the most important factor to determine the communication effect.
First of all, in the modern communication pattern, talking to yourself is equal to not talking, and communication that is not suitable for the audience is equal to ineffective communication.
Secondly, the change of communication audience will determine the change of discourse mode and communication mechanism. If the change of discourse mode and communication mechanism can meet the needs of communication audience, communication at this time is effective communication, otherwise it will become inefficient or ineffective communication.
Thirdly, the change of communication mechanism and communication technology is a dominant factor, which is easy to be valued by researchers and practitioners, while the change of communication audience is hidden and not easy to be noticed, but it is the hidden communication audience that drives the communication situation to change in secret.
Therefore, among the three elements of communication, studying the changes of communication audience and understanding the needs of communication audience should become the core topic. Only on this basis can discourse innovation be purposeful and the adoption of technology be targeted.
Second, the communication audience has changed significantly in the Internet era
In the process of China’s modernization, a striking change is the transformation from an "agricultural country" to a "city country". Rapid urbanization and high concentration of population mean that there are great changes in communication concepts, discourse and media. Cities not only breed organized industrial workers, but also give birth to emerging industrialists and businessmen, freelance groups and various social groups. Their political ideas, organizational methods, information channels and social contacts are quite different from those of traditional "villagers". Reflected in the field of communication, the following changes have taken place:
1. Diversification of information acquisition channels. In the information age, the speed of communication mode innovation is faster and faster, and the speed of traditional media being replaced by new media is also faster and faster. It took one or two hundred years for newspapers to appear and become popular, while it took decades for television. However, a new network information tool can occupy a large number of markets only in a few years or even months. With the diversification of information acquisition channels, the "identity" of the audience in the communication pattern has changed accordingly, and the most significant change is the emergence of "netizens". According to the latest data, as of June 2016, the number of Internet users in China reached 710 million, and the Internet penetration rate reached 51.7%, which exceeded the global average by 3.1 percentage points, including 656 million mobile phone users. The change of media form is not only the change of information transmission channel, but also the subversive change of the whole communication pattern.
First of all, traditional media such as newspapers and television have high entry barriers, relatively single market players and easy coordination and control; However, the Internet and mobile communication have a high degree of marketization, a low entry threshold and complex communication subjects.
Secondly, the information dissemination of traditional media is "streaming", and the communication can be cut off by cutting off the information flow; The information diffusion and storage mode of modern media is "cloud-like", and once it is produced, it will be dispersed.
Third, the information transmission of traditional media is one-way, while the information transmission of modern media is interactive, and the original information may be enriched, omitted, distorted and alienated in the interactive process.
Fourthly, the roles of the subject and audience of traditional media are very clear, while the boundaries between modern media and audience are blurring.
2. The public opinion environment is "middle-level". With the deepening of reform and opening up, this group, which belongs to the middle class in terms of economic income and social status, is growing rapidly. The living habits and information acquisition habits of middle-class people make them the natural leaders of online media, and their strong consumption power urges TV, newspapers, magazines and other media that were originally oriented to traditional audiences to turn to them. In this way, the middle class people not only have overwhelming influence in their original public opinion field-network, but also partially occupy the influence of traditional media. Some scholars have found that there are two important forces in the current public opinion in China: one is the "cynic" who opposes for the sake of opposition, and the other is the moderate and rational middle class. "Fenqing" is more active in cyberspace, especially in grassroots forums; The middle class is the main audience of popular media, and their values and social attitudes are easily guided by mainstream public opinion to a great extent. Although their collective actions are few, they have benefited from the development of new media and become the leaders of online public opinion.
3. Diversification of values, atomization of individuals and networking of communities appear simultaneously. On the conceptual level, with the deepening of China’s modernization process, the traditional authority has been continuously dissolved, and the external values have been "embedded", which has brought about multiple values and even disordered values of the whole society. On the structural level, with the disintegration of the "unit system", the original social ties and organizational structures have also disintegrated, and the "unit people" and "social people" who were originally connected with each other began to become independent individuals. In addition, the change of family structure makes the individual’s independence more and more intense. But people are social animals and political animals after all. After the disintegration of the original social ties, isolated individuals will inevitably seek alternative forms of social connection. The emergence of the Internet just fills this gap, and virtual social networks quickly "connect" separated individuals. In this process, various forms of online communities have risen rapidly. This kind of online community is mainly established on the basis of occupation and hobbies, and mainly depends on the adhesion of values. The distinction between members and non-members is very high, and the diversity of group value consensus leads to the fragmentation of social value consensus. The communication trust within the group is very high, and the communication authority of the core figures is particularly high, but it is often easy to be biased by the subjective limitations of individuals.
4. The way of thinking and discourse has changed. In the Internet age, a great change in the way of thinking of the audience is from "trust thinking" to "doubt thinking". Deconstructing authority, dispelling ideology, questioning official information and mainstream discourse communication are remarkable modern characteristics. This is directly related to the improvement of people’s education level and the deepening of rational enlightenment. At this stage, the original formal words are difficult to impress the audience, and a large amount of written information does not meet the reading needs of the fast-paced era. The forms of communication of pictures and videos are obviously more popular.
Third, the Internet era puts forward new requirements for mainstream discourse communication.
In contemporary China, the core of communication audience change is from "rural China" to "urban China". The Communist Party of China (CPC) is rich in rural communication experience and has established mature and effective rural communication channels. However, urban and rural areas are two completely different discourse spaces with completely different social structures and cultural psychology. The current mainstream discourse system and communication capacity building have not fully adapted to this major change.
1. Pay attention to the right demand. The public pays more attention to personal and family wealth, security, education, medical care, social security and other "private" issues. They even often put their personal interests in a "sacred and inviolable" position. For example, on the issue of environmental protection, netizens ridicule the serious harm of smog by creating various "paragraphs", and some people will take to the streets to "walk" against some projects. There are also some parents who collectively protest against the reduction of college entrance examination indicators for their children’s education. These are the normal rights demands of the people, but our propaganda work obviously pays insufficient attention to them. Some officials even think that the people are "adding chaos" and their words of doing mass ideological work still remain at the level of "serving the overall situation".
2. Adapt to skeptical thinking. In the face of the public’s doubts, some leading cadres seem to be very uncomfortable, thinking that this is the people’s deliberate difficulties. In public events, not only information disclosure is not timely, but also people often make eye-popping reactions to the people’s doubts. In this regard, mainstream discourse communication should adjust its way of thinking. On the one hand, it should disclose information timely and effectively, and communicate fully and patiently. At the same time, it should also pay attention to studying the positive communication effect of discourse application and minimize the negative communication. We should actively study the public’s thinking habits and psychological reactions in the Internet age, and we should not be too anxious about such problems, and at the same time, we should not allow doubts to be amplified, which makes the government in a passive position of "breaking faith".
3. Pay attention to precise delivery. Although the mainstream media are seeking transformation, they have set up new media platforms such as websites, Weibo and WeChat, but to a great extent, they still use traditional documentary discourse to spread, with similar content and macro narrative style. The new media and traditional media are almost the same in information and style, and the communication effect is not good. Nowadays, the network has become a public opinion field with great influence. The mainstream media must pay attention to the changes in the audience’s demands and discourse styles, pay more attention to accurate delivery, and make appropriate distinctions in the content and methods of communication for different communication objects.
4. To highlight the user’s thinking. In the communication pattern of the Internet, information is more diverse, and it is difficult for the communicators to monopolize the information source. The audience can dock many information points and need to "pull" the information they want to read from the complicated information ocean. If the information medium or information form does not meet the taste of the audience, it belongs to "unpleasant" communication, and even if it is flooded with information, the audience will "turn a blind eye". However, the current mainstream discourse communication seems to have failed to form such a user thinking, and information providers often become "talking to themselves". How to make better use of words based on users’ thinking and achieve the effect of effective push is the key point to be considered.
5. Pay attention to the trend of public opinion. In modern society, only simple network tools are needed to complete the dissemination, organization and mobilization, execution and public opinion rendering of a public event in a very short time. The revolution of communication mode has brought new governance risks. Therefore, the issue of communication is not only the issue of discourse power, but also related to governance practice. Modern governance needs to use new discourse methods to resolve contradictions and solve problems. How to persuade the audience more quickly and effectively is a new topic before the governors.
Fourth, build a mainstream discourse communication system centered on the audience
The renewal of communication mechanism and communication technology is an objective change brought about by the development of economic science and technology, and its appearance and development are independent of human will. Whether and how to grasp the characteristics and needs of the audience is a challenge that modern communication must face directly. Good communication results can be achieved by grasping the characteristics and needs of the audience and making good use of new communication technologies. Otherwise, even if you master the most advanced communication technology, it will only be inefficient or even ineffective communication because you can’t really connect with the audience. To establish a three-dimensional communication mechanism to adapt to the audience, we should start from the following aspects:
First of all, mainstream discourse communication should be "grounded". Macroscopically, while continuing to deepen domestic practice, we must strengthen the construction of China Road’s discourse system, mainly to make clear the historical logic and factual logic of China’s national construction through theoretical language. However, if we want to make clear the logic of China’s national construction, we can’t rely on ideology alone. We must go back to history and facts, and closely combine the practice of China’s road with the words of theoretical explanation. At the same time, it should be recognized that "facts" include not only the national experience, but also the daily life experience of ordinary people. Not only the theory should be grounded, but also the facts need to be grounded. Microscopically, we should deeply understand the audience’s demands and psychological habits, form a discourse system that meets their expectations according to the characteristics of citizens, the middle class and netizens, highlight the discourse of rights and the rule of law, and speak their "hearts". Grounding gas itself is a kind of audience thinking. Only when our words truly reflect the thoughts and desires of the audience can we gain their recognition.
Secondly, the effect of mainstream discourse communication should be realized in the benign interaction between the state and society. Whether the new discourse can be accepted, whether the audience can listen to it, and whether it can be spoken sincerely, it is necessary to find a suitable path in the benign interaction between the state and society. Democracy, prosperity, civilization, freedom, human rights and the rule of law are the core pursuits of China in modern times. Therefore, the story of China is not only a story of the country, but also a story closely related to people’s lives, and it is a story that people like to hear and tell. Only with the benign interaction between the state and the society can the audience feel the dignity of the individual, and it is complete and convincing as the main body of China’s story and China’s road. Of course, the basis and premise for the audience to participate in the spread of China’s story is that ordinary people should have a personal experience and gain a sense of China’s increasingly civilized political life. This kind of experience and sense of gain, on the one hand, depends on the concrete democratic system to provide, on the other hand, it also needs the guidance and institutional guarantee of the state.
Third, pay attention to the great role of rhetoric in discourse communication. The construction of discourse communication mode needs not only theoretical support, but also appropriate expression. Traditional grand narrative and spring and autumn brushwork are more suitable for modular and holistic communication, while the communication in the information age pays great attention to timeliness, point-to-point and interpersonal communication, that is, the audience has changed from the original integrity to the present individualization, and the individual’s "feeling" and "emotion introduction" are very important. The individualized reading experience shows that the communication effect of grand narrative is very limited. Pictures, animation videos, live webcasts, relaxed and humorous vocabulary, short articles … These rhetorical forms should be more used in the construction and dissemination of the mainstream discourse system, so that more people can accept them. At the same time, the traditional mainstream media should also boldly activate the younger generation, strive for young people, and spread positive energy in the way of young people’s words.
Fourth, conform to the information acquisition habits of the audience. According to the information acquisition habits of different audiences, it is necessary to comprehensively use mass communication, group communication, interpersonal communication and other ways, relying on state sponsorship, enterprise investment and individual independent participation to achieve communication and communication with the audience. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to establish and improve the cultural market to a greater extent, so that the market plays an increasingly important role in the allocation of cultural resources. Through the market-oriented way, at the life level, we spread our national spirit in a silent way. In addition, for the audience in the new era, mainstream discourse communication must be supported by data, plots and details, not just macro big stories, but also small stories of small places and little people, not playing with concepts and talking less empty words. The story of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s development is full of flesh and blood, which is worth exploring. Such a story is more in line with the law of communication and the habits of the audience in the present era, so it is easier to impress the audience.
Finally, take the initiative to spread abroad. The biggest role of external communication is to strive to create a "unified discourse" at home and abroad, so as to avoid as much as possible the situation that "no one believes the truth at home and rumors abroad are flying all over the sky". China’s leaders, diplomats, experts, scholars and ordinary citizens should take every opportunity to explain the historical starting point and realistic conditions of China’s national construction on different occasions and at various levels, explain China’s traditions, current situation, problems and demands, and do not shy away from sensitive topics. Leaders should be more open to interviews with foreign media, learn to deal with foreign media in the process of interaction, and make our own voice in the media. Efforts should be made to build modern media with world influence and credibility; All kinds of media should also be more comprehensive, active and in-depth to the world, and take the initiative to make China’s voice in major international events. Outstanding representatives of academia, publishing, culture, sports and science and technology should all go out more, take the initiative to make China’s voice, and strive to be a "living newspaper" of China on the world stage.
(Author: Duan Gang, President and Editor-in-Chief of Social Science Newspaper; Wang Zhongqi, Head of Journalist Department of Social Science Newspaper and Ph.D. student of Fudan University)
Editor in charge: Yin Xia
