發生於北非、中東的一系列「茉莉花革命」引起了當前學術界新一波關於網路通訊科技推進威權政體民主化議題的爭辯。本文即在此脈絡下,以「網路政治」中的「維權」視角,探析新媒體「如何」(how)且在「多大程度」(to what extent)上衝擊並影響當代中國威權政治的發展,並據以檢視當前黨國政體下的中國國家-社會關係。本文「維權」所指涉的是「權力」與「權利」雙重層次:其一為中國政府維繫並鞏固黨國權威與統治力;另一為中國人民(網民)捍衛憲法所賦予公民的基本權利。本文認為,新媒體的中介平台角色,使得舊有國家-社會間的「強國家,弱社會」關係模式正快速地受到衝擊。中國網路政治下的政治發展新圖像將是一種從網民到公民、從統治到良治的新圖像。它重塑了「新」媒體時代下的中國國家-社會關係,亦為中國公民社會健康發展和推進民主轉型提供了根本而重大的基礎。
The Jasmine revolution resulting from North Africa and the Middle East has triggered a new wave of scholarly debates on the roles of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in contributing the democratic development and changes in authoritarian states. Against this backdrop, this article studies the political development and democratization of China, with the aim to enhance a higher level of understanding of ICT's impact and influence on China's politics. Considering the politics of the so-called wei-quan (rights protection) movements waged by both Netizens and the party-state, this article argues that the ICT has indeed facilitated the emergence of civil society in China, making the democratic transitions in the PRC possible in the age of new media.