The Application of the New Media in the Maintenance of Mainstream Values by Universities and Colleges in the Age of Information Fragmentation

Xiao Ling

Abstract：In the era of information fragmentation， the discourse power of traditional elites will inevitably be weakened. How to maintain and consolidate mainstream cultural values while respecting multiple values is a question worth of thinking about. WeChat， Blogs and other kinds of new social media are playing more and more important roles in the daily lives of young students. They have become important channels for the college students to access information， and important tools shaping their worldview. In the era of information fragmentation， a significant task is how to maintain mainstream values through the new media， and is one that universities and colleges have to think about. Minzu universities have been actively exploring the development of the new media， and have achieved some initial successes by constructing a series of new media （platforms）， including the construction of an official WeChat （platform）. An analysis of cases from six Minzu universities can provide us with a reference for analyzing how to effectively use the new media to safeguard mainstream values. Equal and interactive communication between multiple subjects is a prominent feature in the era of information fragmentation. So， it is no longer effective if we simply copy the mechanisms from traditional media. Actually， setting up a working mechanism that adapts to the rules of dissemination in the era of information fragmentation is the basis for the universities and colleges to safeguard mainstream values through the new media.

After several years of practical experiences， the six Minzu universities have formed a publicity matrix for the new media led by their official WeChat platforms.  Equal communication in the era of the new media requires not ignoring the audience，  so， the subject of communication must take notice of the audience， take the needs of the audience as their starting point for communication， and change their models of communication according to the needs of the audience. The universities and colleges have adapted to this new communication situation， changed the work consciousness of the new media into an equal and interactive perspective， established a new media operating mechanism that adapts to rapid dissemination， promoted the construction of new media in universities and colleges through brand competition， and formed a set of working mechanisms which adapt to the rules of the new media. Through selecting subject oriented topics， designing an efficient form of communication which adapts to the era of information fragmentation， and selecting ways of interactive communication which are based on the differentiation between “hot and cold” media， Minzu universities and colleges have actively conducted an analysis of the rules of the new media， gained a new discourse advantage， and successfully transformed the communication power of the new media into an educational tool.

Because the way college students think is both critical and innovative， Minzu universities are more likely to provide a suitable topic， and help the students to recognize problems in the process of thinking about the topic and form values that are consistent with mainstream values. The Spiral of Silence theory believes that people use the mass media to judge mainstream opinions， and this influences their judgment and expression. In this process， the mass media has strengthened the “spiral of silence”， and has also shaped both individual and collective opinions. The official WeChat platform of Minzu universities has transformed the value judgments of the community into a group consensus by shaping community consciousness. It has a constraining force with regard to the values and behaviors of group members， thus， strengthening mainstream values and giving them a more powerful emotional appeal. By actively building the official WeChat platform and other new media in Minzu universities， the students have improved their knowledge and judgment regarding the nature of the media， the frequent skills and methods used by media， as well as the effects of these skills and methods. This has helped to improve the students  ability to identify and maintain the mainstream values when they face a complex public environment. The successful operation of the official WeChat platforms of the Minzu universities has made an exploration into how to incorporate  the new media into ideological education. A scientific analysis of the cases of Minzu universities can provide a useful reference for  constructing  new media in other universities and colleges.

Key Words：new media;  universities and colleges;  maintenance of mainstream values

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