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About

As I walk the streets and roam the web of China, I share snapshots from my fieldwork on Bytes of China. My list of longer thought pieces can be found on my Writing Page. 

I am currently living in China, following students and migrants as they process information and desire, remaking cities and rural areas. I investigate media and memes in their collisions with markets, governments, and local thugs.   [More about Bytes of China.]

Here's a video of the most recent talk I gave about my research at LIFT in Geneva, Switzerland, "Dancing with Handcuffs: The Geography of Trust in Social Networks". In this talk, I analyze the changing conceptions of trust through the story of a college student who threw shoes and eggs at the government official who oversees internet censorship in China. 

Read more about my research. My analysis of culture and technology can be found on Cultural Bytes. And my personal blog is Hi Tricia.

The views expressed on this blog do not in any way reflect the position of any of my funders, past employers, the Chinese government, the US government or the Fulbright program. 

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Funding

My research is generously funded though a mix of university grant programs, state initiatives, or industry research.

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Wednesday
Apr042012

gender + banking team up: Barbie loves going to the bank

DateWednesday, April 4, 2012 at 08:34AM

I was waiting for the teller to call me up when I spotted the Barbie credit card advertisement at China Construction Bank. 

"To be self confidant & beautiful; the beautiful Barbie credit card. 因自信而美丽, 芭比美丽信用卡"

background: In March 2009, Barbie countered falling sales by opening their first mega-brand store in Shanghai. Then Barbie teamed up with China Construction Bank for the first ever, Barbie credit card. They marketed it as the "first female exclusive credit card."

pondering: I wonder if any gay males have challenged this envisioned use behavior. i would love to interview any these card users. If only I could get my hands on thier database of users. Hello sympathetic water army? anyone want to help out? Who are the users of this card? Guilty fathers? Well-meamning and super rich parents? Parents of college students?  I would imagine that one of the largest groups of users are mistress. 

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