The generation of “instant memory”
The digital memory of Dr. Li Wenliang in the Covid-19 outbreak in China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21790200 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jingzhi Chen (0000-0001-5685-0918, Zhejiang University, corresponding author), Junyao Cheng (Wuhan University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-16 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Chinese Journal of Communication (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1754-4769 • E-ISSN: 1754-4750 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17544750.2025.2496179 |
| OpenAlex | W4409816928 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 27 |
In the digital age, the witness and commemoration of public events by netizens have become increasingly visible, with an increasing number of people participating in real-time online writing about digital events. Scholars have criticized the contemporary obsession with memory and historical issues, as well as the urgent and excessive desire to express commemoration in public spaces. This paper focuses on the commemorative texts surrounding the “Dr. Li Wenliang event” on the Internet in Mainland China at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It introduces the concept of “instant memory” to explore the generative process of this commemorative type and its potential social impact. We found that “instant memory” emerges before the dust settles, affecting the course of events; it serves as an emotional writing process that allows netizens to vent their feelings and alleviate their anxiety during public emergencies. Within the specific governance and censorship framework of the Chinese Internet, “instant memory” illustrates the convenience and flexibility of cultural resistance and the public potential of democracy and pluralism, presenting a liberating force distinct from the “memorial mania” that has been repeatedly criticized in Western contexts
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Biology · China · Geography · Instant · Outbreak · Computer Science · Empathy and Medical Education · Medicine · Food Science · Internal Medicine · Virology
The Long Revolution
The Power of the Internet in China
Commemoration and Emotional Sustenance
War, memory, and the public mediation of affect
Making memory work
Chinese collective memory on the Internet
And Connective Memory
Instagram and Auschwitz
This Title Is No Longer Available”
Remembering disappeared websites in China
Tweeted, deleted
Witnessing Eva Stories
How Politics ‘Messed up with’ Institutionalization
Continuing Bonds and Grief
Media and events after Media Events
Media, Memory, Metaphor
The Emotional Life of Contemporary Public Memorials
Spontaneous Memorials and Contemporary Modes of Mourning in America
Digital activism and collective mourning by Chinese netizens during Covid-19
How the Chinese Government Fabricates Social Media Posts for Strategic Distraction, Not Engaged Argument
Graves in One's Heart
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |