Author: Tricia Wang

Tricia Wang observes how technology makes us human. Her ethnographic research follows youth and migrants as they process information and desire, remaking cities and rural areas.
Ethnography of Tech

Debunking myths about China state control & surveillance in the age of COVID-19

Posted on by Tricia Wang

Editor’s note: Starting in January, Tricia re-connected with her former colleagues and contacts in Wuhan (where she did extensive fieldwork in the past) to find out more about the COVID-19 pandemic and the truth behind some popular myths that have been floating around on the Western mainstream media. Here, we document her debunking two such myths (with the help of Shayla…

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Starting Up in Shenzhen

On “discovering” Shenzhen and the 459 car brands in China

Posted on by Tricia Wang

Editor’s note: Below are select excerpts from a panel discussion between Tricia Wang, David Li and Philipp Grefer held at NEXT Conference 2017:

Philipp Grefer: 88Rising is a YouTube channel looking for good Asian culture – better than K-Pop. They have found several people who have had some success. We have a Chinese rapper starting to be noticed…

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Ethnography of Tech

Ethnographic dispatches: Spring 2015

Posted on by Tricia Wang

Editor’s note: As some of you might know, 88 Bar members Tricia Wang and Christina Xu spent the spring of this year doing research and fieldwork around people and technology in China. Here we’ve excerpted some of the highlights from Tricia’s Instagram account.

 

First stop – a Tencent conference in Beijing headlined by a talk on “user research…

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Ethnography of Tech

A new form of sociality among Chinese youth: the Elastic Self

Posted on by Tricia Wang

Editor’s note: our very own Tricia Wang will be giving a livestream presentation of her dissertation research this coming Tuesday. Here’s what it’s about.

The sudden availability of social media and open-market capitalism is creating new spaces in China that are shifting norms and behaviors in unexpected ways. This research investigates and explains the phenomena of semi-anonymous interactions among Chinese…

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Example of a cultural mis-understanding forming a misleading business insight

Posted on by Tricia Wang

Reposted from Cultural Bytes.

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I love that The Atlantic has covered Red Associates’s work in ethnography and insights. They have brilliant ethnographers and I would recommend them as an awesome and insightful supplier.

Although the article contained a minor point that I believe is misleading.

These…

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Ethnography of Tech

Some initial thoughts about the popularity of QQ’s WeChat (aka Weixin)

Posted on by Tricia Wang
Shake it function (摇一摇)
Shake it function (摇一摇)

Excerpted from Bytes of China:

A few weeks ago, a conversation about the popularity of WeChat emerged on a tech mailing lists. Someone posted several reasons why they thought WeChat was more usable than Skype. They listed several technical reasons, such as ease of use, great mobile interface, and more efficient…

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Ethnography of Tech

Inspiration for the future of cars from resource-constrained vendors in China

Posted on by Tricia Wang
A father-son team work together in a workshop modifying three-wheeled vehicles in Guizhou, China.

China is now the largest car market. But many Western companies are discovering that simply transferring cars designed for Western users do not always appeal to Asian users. Point in case GM’s Cadillac, a car built for…

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An infamous Chinese hacker becomes a “security professional”?

Posted on by Tricia Wang
image: iDefense
image: iDefense

Up until now, Wicked Rose has been infamous for one thing, being a prolific hacker. He exploited Microsoft Office security holes in the US Defense Department and obtained sensitive data for over two years before being discovered.

But it appears that Wiked Rose is exploring a new career path.

Investigative reporter, …

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