Taiwanese political call-in talk shows : control and "credible participation" hidden behind the spectacle

Abstract

Recently, governments have leveraged a variety of new technologies, especially new social media, to create an open government, or Government 2.0 that is transparent in its policies and gives its citizens the ability to collaborate and participate. Social media has been known for its ability to instantly connect a decentralized group of users; the ease at which the technology communicates makes the results of such technologies unpredictable and elusive. Despite television's reputation as a "passive" medium, I demonstrate that Taiwanese political call-in shows have been a successful form of credible and "controlled participation" for over a decade. With the inception of multi-party elections, these talk shows have served a purpose beyond getting good ratings and bringing in profits for the networks; they provide politicians and viewers alike an opportunity to participate. To understand the participatory culture, I studied Taiwanese political talk shows as a media system by analyzing the style and content of Taiwanese talk shows, as well as the social, cultural, legal, political, and economic institutions, practices, and protocols that shape the technology. The call-in talk shows transforms the medium into what John Gee calls an "affinity space," a term often used to describe the communities built using social media. Even with the culture of openness on Taiwanese political talk shows, the value system by which television is constructed and limited interactivity of the technology preserve the credibility content, and create an effective blueprint for bidirectional interaction between the government and the public.