Becoming homeowners: The emergence and use of online neighborhood forums in transitional urban China

This study investigates the interaction between the homeowners of commodity housing and the Internet in transitional urban China. It examines how the homeowners make use the Internet and weave it into their everyday life in the commodity housing estates to improve their positions in both home purchase and neighborhood management. The study analyzes the emergence and use of online neighborhood forums with a special reference to Guangzhou. It argues that the neighborhood forums provide a platform within which information exchange, organization of collective actions, social interactions, and community building take place simultaneously. In the course of both online and offline interactions, users have adopted four kinds of strategies of mobilizing and organizing: common grievances, common threats, common amenities, and common attributes.

► Chinese homeowners establish online neighborhood forums to improve their position.
► Online forum is used for information exchange on housing and community issues.
► Online forum provides a tool for the organization of collective action.
► Online forum offers a platform for social interaction and community building.
► Homeowners use 4 strategies: common grievance, threat, amenity, and attribute.