Byte the Power: Information Openness Increases Participatory Equality in China – Prof. MENG Tianguang
Digital technologies have brought about a significant shift in the way people from different social groups participate in politics through increased information openness. However, the effects of information openness on the equality of participation remains controversial. In this paper, we argue that in developing countries, information openness empowers disadvantaged groups by reducing the cost of public information access, providing opportunities for social learning, and disseminating scarce political knowledge, ultimately bridging the participation gap. To test our argument, we conducted two complementary studies. The first study examined the impact of information openness on both online and offline participation using big data generated by the Baidu search engine and national surveys. The second study explored the effects of an exogenous information openness shock on the online participation. We find that information openness reduces participation gap, which contribute to the ongoing debate on the impact of information technology on political equality.

Personality and Civic Quality in the Online Society – Prof. HU Yue
The debate surrounding the power of the Internet on political participation has oscillated between euphoria and disillusionment. To figure out the empowerment power of the internet, one key issue in this debate is the quality of online political discussions. This study examines on the quality of online political discussions from four dimensions: rationality, interactivity, equality and civility, and explores the psychological drivers behind it. Based on analysis on 33,525 discussions involving 172,697 participants regarding on Weibo, the result indicates a balanced distribution of personality traits among participants, with Agreeableness and Openness being most prominent, contributing to a relatively high civility. Despite the lack of rationality and interactivity, the level of equality is in middle level with no dominant voices. This result suggests a gradual liberalization within the Chinese online society.