- 學位論文
社群媒體與跨國公共領域：「#奶茶聯盟」在臺線上下活動之探索
Social Media and Transnational Public Sphere: The Study of #milkteaalliance and their Online, Offline Actions in Taiwan
摘要
本研究的目的為探討以源自亞洲區域間的線上公民運動空間---跨國奶茶聯盟（Milk Tea Alliance），實踐全球公共領域之可能性。21世紀，網路作為資訊傳輸的載體，加速並縮短了跨國社會連結的距離，在線（online）被視為突破國界限制的新公共領域型態。然而，即便身處數位時代，位處第三世界的東南亞開發中國家，在受西方主流話語霸權如美國；亞洲政治、文化與經濟相對優勢的中國、日本及韓國等影響下，網路傳播與社群媒體（Social Media）仍缺乏一完全自主、平等與去中心化（知識菁英領導下）的討論平台。再者，受極權、獨裁體制支配下的國家，中央政府進一步地以法律、資訊屏障（information barrier）等手段，限縮言論自由的空間與資訊交換的管道。上述的國際局勢以及區域間政權統治形態的手段，都為網際網路是否能實現全球公共領域的樂觀理想，打上了一個問號。 2020年4月由社群媒體推特（Twitter）上的中、泰網民迷因（meme） 大戰，衍生出臺灣、香港和泰國跨區域連結的奶茶聯盟（Milk Tea Alliance）概念，在同年的泰國學運以及隔年的緬甸示威遊行中，被帶上了街頭並成為了國際間串連、聲援的口號。奶茶聯盟彷彿已由模糊的網路象徵性符號，轉為訴求和提倡全球公共領域的跨國傳播媒介。本文以實際參與及觀察在臺奶茶聯盟，於泰國學運及緬甸反軍政變示威聲援的線上、下行動作為研究對象，分析2020年至2021年間奶茶聯盟作為資訊載體（information carrier）的現況，以及推測未來發展的空間與走向。奶茶聯盟標籤之使用，就本文的觀察，已從最初亞洲區域間網民（netizen）組成的反中象徵，衍生成為了跨國乃至全球民主認同、爭取權利、自由與反極權的意識凝聚體，為全球公共領域的不平等限制和議題延續困境的突破，提供了一個新的契機。
並列摘要
The purpose of this study is to explore the possibility of practicing the global public sphere with the transnational Milk Tea Alliance, a space for digital citizenship movement formed in Pan-Asia regions. In the 21st century, the Internet, as a carrier of information transmission, accelerates and shortens the distance between transnational social connections, and online is regarded as a new form of public sphere which breaks through limitations of national borders. However, even in the digital age, Southeast Asian Nations and other countries of the Third World are still led by dominant trends from the West, or politically, culturally and economically influential Asian countries. Online communication and social media still lack a fully autonomous, equal, and decentralized discussion platform. Besides, in countries under totalitarian dictatorship, state power may limit freedom of speech and information exchange by enforcing laws and other information barriers, and that makes us question the probability of practicing the virtual public sphere through the digital cyberspace. In April 2020, the meme war on Twitter between Chinese and Thai netizen’s created the concept of the Milk Tea Alliance（#milkteaalliance）, a cross-national social media platform connecting Thailand, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. The hashtag, gradually becoming the slogan of international solidarity, was taken to the streets in the same year’s Thai protests and also shown in the Myanmar protests the following year. It seems that the Milk Tea Alliance has transformed from a network symbolism to a transnational communication medium that appeals and advocates the global public sphere. This research studies the participants’ online and offline actions of the Milk Tea Alliance in Taiwan from 2020 to 2021, analyzes the current state of the Milk Tea Alliance hashtag as an information carrier, and speculates it’s future movement and development. Based on this study, the use of #milkteaalliance has evolved from an anti-China symbol to a transnational pro-democracy movement, fight for freedom, and opposition to totalitarianism. Milk Tea Alliance provides a turning point to break through inequitable restrictions and limitations of progressing the topics in the global public sphere.