Areas of research

Murdoch researchers in the Centre are interested in the study of questions related to the following areas:

The regulation of and discourses related to the media, social media, the internet and cultural products, and media policy.

What is China’s contribution to new media/internet regulatory discourses, rhetoric and governance?
What are the impacts of social media on the regulatory regime in China? Will China influence policy-making in this field? If so, how, what, why?
What is the future of policy directions related to the Internet in China vis-a-via other Asian societies as well as globally?
How different is media censorship in China from censorship in other authoritarian societies like Singapore and Malaysia?
What are the pitfalls of a social media scene dominated by Renren and Weibo and how does their prevalance constitute monopolistic trends evident in other platforms of so-called non-government media?

As both Chinese and Australian societies undergo transformation, what are the implications for professional and managerial work in the media and communication sectors? As once clear demarcations between people, time, space and communication technologies erode, what impact does this have on the identities of professionals, especially in relation to the intersection of home and work lives?
What progress is being made in developing and integrating media management skills in China's state-run newspaper, TV and radio platforms as they are increasingly required to be economically self-sufficient? What difficulties do these managers face in having to deal with, on one hand, stringent news and information content controls from the central government, while on the other in trying to turn a profit, and how do they reconcile the two.
With the growing role of social media as a form of information sharing and public discourse in China, what is the future direction of traditional, state-owned media as a source of information and what professional standards challenges does it face to remain relevant?

How is critical discourse evolving in the media of contemporary China?
Are there cultural obstacles to political dialogue in today's China?
What is the relationship between cultural tradition and politics in the Chinese media?
To what extent do the Chinese media play a transformational, social role in present-day China?
What are the central features of cross-cultural reception of the media in China and West?

What cultural differences exist between the decision styles of Chinese and Australian consumers, namely, how do they make decisions, and what attributes or criteria do they use to evaluate alternative decision options? What are the implications for how cultural products are marketed globally?

What teaching and learning practices best enable the academic success of postgraduate students in China and Australia, and are there differences in how ‘success’ is defined, and developed? How can a culturally responsive framework be collaboratively developed to best support both Chinese students studying media and communication in Australia, and their tutors in both countries? Collaborating For Success