ORCiD (0000-0001-5970-7172)

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Appointments

Fellowship Positions

Leadership & Memberships in Editorial Boards and Research Networks

Education

Abidin, C., Zeng, J., Wu, F. (forthcoming, 2025). Transnational and Transcultural Internet Celebrities: Diaspora Wanghong in China. Routledge.

Chan, N.-K.,  Zeng, J., Pun, N. (Eds., in progress).  “Infrastructure, labour, & social change: understanding digital and big data practices in/from China”. In Big Data & Society. 

Huang, Q., Zeng, J., Tanaka, H., Shahin, S. (Eds., in progress). Negotiating Digital Visibility in Asia. In Convergence.

Nguyen, D., Zeng, J. &  Mutsvairo, B.  (Eds., in progress). Technology, Power & Society:  Global Perspectives on the Digital Transformation. Leiden: Brill.

Kaye, D.B.V., Zeng, J., & Wikström, P. (2022). TikTok: Creativity and Culture in Short Video. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Zeng, J., Mike S. Schäfer & Thaiane Oliveira (Eds., 2022). Conspiracy Theories in Digital Environments. In Convergence.

Zeng, J.,  Schäfer, M. S. & Abidin, C.  (Eds., 2021): Research Perspectives on TikTok & its Legacy Apps. In International Journal of Communication. 

Mahl, D., Zeng, J., Schäfer, M. S., Egert, F. A., & Oliveira, T. (2024). “We Follow the Disinformation”: Conceptualizing and Analyzing Fact-Checking Cultures Across Countries. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612241270004

Zeng, J., & Yan, X. (2024). Understanding climate-related visual storytelling on TikTok: A cross-national multimodal analysis. Journal of Digital Social Research, 6(2), 66-84. https://doi.org/10.33621/jdsr.v6i2.212

Zeng, J., & Cheng, C. Y. (2024). Diasporic citizen journalism: Exploring the discussion on the 2022 blank paper protests in the Chinese twitter community. Journalism, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849241250191

Zeng, J., & Brennen, S. B. (2023). Misinformation. Internet Policy Review, 12(4). https://doi.org/10.14763/2023.4.1725

Zeng, J., & Chan, C. H. (2023). Envisioning a more inclusive future for digital journalism: A diversity audit of journalism studies (2013–2021). Digital Journalism, 11(4), 609-629.

Mahl, D., Zeng, J., & Schäfer, M. S.(2023). Conceptualizing Platformed Conspiracism: Analytical Framework and Empirical Case Study of BitChute and Gab. New Media & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231160457

Zeng, J. (2023). # LearnOnTikTok Serendipitously, # LearnOnTikTok Seriously. JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, 62(4), 174-180. https://doi.org/10.1353/cj.2023.a904634

Chan, CH, Zeng, J.,  & Mike S. Schäfer (2022). Whose Research Benefits more from Twitter? The Twitter-worthiness of Communication Research and its Role in Reinforcing Disparities in the Field. PLoS One.  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278840

Zeng, J., Schäfer, M. S., & Oliveira, T. M. (2022). Conspiracy theories in digital environments: Moving the research field forward. Convergence, 28(4), 929-939. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565221117474

Schäfer, M. S., Mahl, D., Füchslin, T., Metag, J., & Zeng, J. (2022). From Hype Cynics to Extreme Believers: Typologizing the Swiss Population’s COVID-19-Related Conspiracy Beliefs, Their Corresponding Information Behavior, and Social Media Use. International Journal of Communication, 16, 26.

Zeng, J., & Kaye, D. B. V., (2022). From content moderation to visibility moderation: A case study of platform governance on TikTok. Policy & Internet, 14(1), 79-95. https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.287

Southwell, B. G., Brennen, J. S. B., Paquin, R., Boudewyns, V., & Zeng, J. (2022). Defining and Measuring Scientific Misinformation. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 700(1), 98–111. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027162221084709

Mahl, D., Schäfer, M.S., & Zeng, J. (2022). Conspiracy theories in online environments: An interdisciplinary literature review and agenda for future research. New Media & Society. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221075759

Zeng, J., & Abidin, C. (2021) “#OkBoomer, time to meet the Zoomers”: Studying the Memefication of Intergenerational Politics on TikTok. Information, Communication & Society.  Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1961007

Hendry, N. A., Tiidenberg, K., Abidin, C., Kaye, D. B. V., Zeng, J., Wikstrom, P., Bucher, T., Highfield, T., Leaver, T., & Qiu, J. L. (2021). PLATFORM SPECIFICITIES: THE PLATFORM BOOKS PANEL. AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research, 2021. https://doi.org/10.5210/spir.v2021i0.12115
 
Zeng, J., & Schäfer, M. S.(2021). Conceptualizing “Dark Platforms”. Covid-19-related Conspiracy Theories on 8kun and Gab. Digital Journalism, 9(9), 1208-1230, https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2021.1938165

Abidin, C., & Zeng, J. (2021). Subtle Asian Traits and COVID-19. First Monday, 26(7). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v26i7.10859

Zeng, J., Abidin, C. & Schäfer, M. S.(2021). Research Perspectives on TikTok & its Legacy Apps: Introduction. International Journal of Communication.  https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/14539

Mahl, D., Zeng, J., & Schäfer, M. S. (2021). “From ‘Nasa lies’ to ‘reptilian eyes’: Mapping communication about ten conspiracy theories, their communities, and propagators on Twitter.” Social Media + Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211017482

Zeng, J., Schäfer, M. S., & Allgaier, J. (2021). Reposting “till Albert Einstein is TikTok famous”: The Memetic Construction of Science on TikTok. International Journal of Communication. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/14547

Hautea, S., Parks, P., Takahashi, B., & Zeng, J. (2021). Showing They Care (Or Don’t): Affective Publics and Ambivalent Climate Activism on TikTok. Social Media + Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211012344

Zeng, J., & Chan, CH. (2021), "A cross-national diagnosis of infodemics: comparing the topical and temporal features of misinformation around COVID-19 in China, India, the US, Germany and France", Online Information Review, ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-09-2020-0417

Zeng, J., Chan, CH., Schäfer, M. S. (2020). Contested Chinese Dreams of AI? Public discourse about Artificial intelligence on WeChat and People’s Daily Online. Information, Communication & Society. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1776372

Chan, CH., Zeng, J., Wessler, H., Jungblut, M., Welbers, K., Bajjalieh, J. W., ... & Althaus, S. L. (2020). Reproducible Extraction of Cross-lingual Topics (rectr). Communication Methods and Measures, 14 (4): 285-3051. https://doi.org/10.1080/19312458.2020.1812555

Abidin, C., & Zeng, J. (2020). Feeling Asian Together: Coping With #COVIDRacism on Subtle Asian Traits. Social Media + Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120948223

Kaye, D. B. V., Chen, X., & Zeng, J. (2020). The co-evolution of two Chinese mobile short video apps: Parallel platformization of Douyin and TikTok. Mobile Media & Communication. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050157920952120

Chen, X.,  Kay, D.B.V., & Zeng, J. (2020) #PositiveEnergy Douyin: constructing “playful patriotism” in a Chinese short-video application. Chinese Journal of Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17544750.2020.1761848

Persaud, C. J., Guarriello, N. B., Maris, E., Abidin, C., & Zeng, J. (2020). Racing the platform/platforming race. AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research. https://doi.org/10.5210/spir.v2020i0.11144

Xu, K., Liu, F., Mou, Y., Wu, Y.,  Zeng, J., & Schäfer, M. S. (2020) Using Machine Learning to Learn Machines: A Cross-Cultural Study of Users’ Responses to Machine-Generated Artworks. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2020.1835136

Zeng, J. (2019). # MeToo as connective action: a study of the anti-sexual violence and anti-sexual harassment campaign on Chinese social media in 2018. Journalism practice, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2019.1706622

Zeng, J., Burgess, J., & Bruns, A. (2019). Is citizen journalism better than professional journalism for fact-checking rumours in China? How Weibo users verified information following the 2015 Tianjin blasts. Global Media and China, 4(1), 13–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/20594364198341

Zeng, J., Chan, CH,  and Fu, KW. (2017). How social media construct “truth” around crisis events: Weibo's rumour management strategies after the 2015 Tianjin Blasts. Policy & Internet, 9(3), 297-320. https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.155

Fung, I.,  Zeng J., Chan CH, Liang H, Yin J, Liu Z, Tse ZTH, Fu KW (2017). Twitter and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, South Korea, 2015: a multi-lingual study. Infection, Disease & Health, 23(1), 10-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idh.2017.08.005

Zeng, J. (2015). How does information around acute events come into being on social media? JeDEM-eJournal of eDemocracy and Open Government, 7(1), 72-98. https://doi.org/10.29379/jedem.v7i1.375

Zeng, J. (2014). Can Microblog based Political Discussion contribute to Public Deliberation in China? In CeDEM Asia 2014: Proceedings of Conference for E-Democracy and Open Government, 97-114.

Zeng, J. (2014). Information construction in crisis communication: Applying ANT to digital media environments. In CeDEM Asia 2014: Proceedings of Conference for E-Democracy and Open Government Conference for E-Democracy and Open Government, 261-266.

Zeng, J., & Abidin, C. (2023). ‘# OkBoomer, time to meet the Zoomers’: Studying the memefication of intergenerational politics on TikTok. In The Playful Politics of Memes (pp. 93-115). Routledge.

Brause, S. R., Zeng, J., Schäfer, M. S., & Katzenbach, C. (2023). Media representations of artificial intelligence: surveying the field. Handbook of Critical Studies of Artificial Intelligence, 277-288.

Zeng, J. (2021). Researching conspiracy theories using content analysis in the digital media environment. In F. Oehmer, S. H. Kessler, E. Humprecht, K. Sommer, & L. Castro Herrero (Eds). Handbook of Standardized Content Analysis: Applied Designs to Research Fields of Communication Science. Wiesbaden: Springer.

Zeng, J. (2020). 'Smart is the Nü (boshi) Sexy': How China's PhD women are fighting stereotypes using social media. In Warfield, K.,  Abidin C., and Cambre C. (eds). Mediated Interfaces: The Body on Social Media (pp. 159-173). London: Bloomsbury Academic

Zeng, J. (2019). You Say# MeToo, I Say# MiTu: China’s Online Campaigns Against Sexual Abuse. In Fileborn B., Loney-Howes R. (eds) # MeToo and the Politics of Social Change (pp. 71-83). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15213-0_5

Mahl, D., Zeng, J., Schäfer, M. S., Egert, F. A., & Oliveira, T. (2024). Comparing fact-checking cultures across nations: A process of divergence or mimetic isomorphism? Paper to be presented at the 10th European Communication Conference (ECREA), 24-27 September 2024, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Zeng, J. &  Cheng, C. Y. (2024).  Diasporic Citizen Journalism: Exploring the Discussion on the 2022 Blank Paper Protests in the Chinese Twitter Community. Paper presented at the 74th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), 2024, Gold Coast, Australia.

Li, Yu, Zeng, J., Puschmann, C., Breiter, A. (2024). Computational Approaches to Visual Framing in Communication Studies. Paper presented at the 73rd Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), 2024, Gold Coast, Australia.

Huang, Q. & Zeng, J. (2024). Conceptualizing Digital Visibility Negotiation for Social Change in Asia. Panel discussion at 74th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), 2024, Gold Coast, Australia.

Mahl, D., Zeng, J., Schäfer, M. S., Egert, F. A., & Oliveira, T. (2024). Introducing a Context-Sensitive Framework For Studying Fact-Checking Cultures. Paper presented at the 24th Annual Conference of the Swiss Association of Communication and Media Research (SGKM), 18-19 April 2024, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

Abidin, C., & Zeng, J. (2023). East Asian Cultural Mediators on TikTok: Genres, Knowledge flows, and Internet Celebrity between Platform Markets. Paper presented at ICA 2023 Pre-conference: Digital Asia, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Zeng, J., & Yan, X. (2023). Understanding video memes: A case study of #cliamte content on TikTok. Paper presented at the 73rd Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), 25-29 May 2023, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Zeng, J., & Kaye, B. (2021). Visibility Governance on TikTok: From Content Moderation to Visibility Moderation. 2021 Digital Publics Symposium: Information Disorders. Digital Media Research Center, Australia. Link

Kaye, B., Zeng, J., Wikstrom, P. (2021). Platform Specificities: the Platform Books Panel. Association of Internet Research (AoIR) Conference 2021.

Zeng, J., & Schäfer MS (2021). Going to the Dark Side: investigating conspiracy theories around COVID-19 on dark platforms.  Paper presented at 71th International Communication Association Annual Conference.

Zeng, J., & Schäfer MS (2020). Teaching or trolling? A content analysis of science and pseudoscience memes on TikTok. Paper presented at 70th International Communication Association Annual Conference.

Kaye, B., Chen, X., & Zeng, J. (2020). Parallel Platform Governance of Douyin and TikTok. Presentation at Workshop on Empirical Approaches to Platform Governance. Alexander von Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft, Berlin Virtual Event. Link

Chan, C. H., Zeng, J., Wessler, H., Jungblut, M., Welbers, K., Bajjalieh, J., van Atteveldt, W., & Althaus, S. (2020). Reproducible Extraction of Cross-Lingual Topics Using R. Paper presented at 70th Annual International Communication Association Conference, Virtual Conference [Top Paper, Computational Methods Interest Group]

Chan, C. H., Zeng, J., & Schäfer, M.S. (2020). Whose research benefits more from Twitter? A study of Twitter-worthiness of communication research. Paper presented at 70th Annual International Communication Association Conference, Virtual Conference [Top extended abstract, Communication and Technology Division]

Zeng, J., Keller, T. R., Schäfer, Mike S.  (2019). Prevalence, Activity and Impact of Social Bots in Twitter Communication about Conspiracy Theories. Presented at AoIR conference 2019. Brisbane, Australia.

Wijermars, M., Puschmann C., & Zeng  J. (2019). News recommendation and source diversity on Russian news aggregators: Google News as the better alternative? Paper presented at 69th International Communication Association Annual Conference.

Slechten, L., & Zeng, J. (2018). Global diversity in search results: a socio-technical examination of Google, Baidu, and Yandex’ geopolitical search query results in the US, Western EU, India, China, and Russia. European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) 2018 Conference. Lugano, Switzerland.

Zeng, J. (2016) How is misinformation regulated on Chinese Social media. Presented in Crossroads in Cultural Studies 2018, Sydney, Australia.

Zeng, J., Chan, C.H., & Fu, K. W. (2016). Can online rumour be a social good in an authoritarian state? Presented at Internet Research Conference 2016, Berlin, Germany.

Zeng, J., Burgess, J., & Bruns, A. (2015). The challenges of Weibo for data-driven digital media research. Presented at Internet Research Conference 2015, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Zeng, J. (2024, April 24).  Activism and Polarization within the Chinese Digital Diaspora.  Keynote at International Symposium "Indicators of Social Cohesion in Social Media and Online Media. Hamburg, Germany. Link

Zeng, J. (2022, October 06). From parallel to divergent platformization: a methodological reflection on researching video memes on Douyin and TikTok. Keynote at ECREA pre-conference workshop on Visual Politics & Protest. Online.

Zeng, J. (2021, December 3). Researching misinformation on social media with a cross-platform perspective. Keynote at the Concepts of the Digital Society Conference. University of St.Gallen, Switzerland.

Zeng, J. (2021, February 2).  Contested Chinese Dreams of AI. Keynote at ‘AI Narratives in China’ organised by the Berggruen Center at Peking University & the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge (CFI). Online. Link

Zeng, J. (2024, June 25). Master class: computational approach to visual media research. Curtin University, Australia.

Zeng, J. (2024, Janurary 26). 华语#键政#的暗平台化: 以推特上的中国时政讨论为例. 「華人社會的平台化：平台治理、勞工和未來」. Hong Kong.

Zeng, J. (2023, October 20). Sex, Lies, and Activism: Twitter as an alternative platform for the Chinese Digital Diaspora. Workshop: Alternative Platforms/Platform Alternatives.  Berlin, Germany.

Zeng, J. (2023, October 19). Data Labour in Platforms Governance, from social media to generative AI. Colloquium: Data Practices and Digital Social Worlds. Organised by Big Data & Society and the University of Cambridge.

Zeng, J. (2023, June 9).  Researching video memes. Invited talk at the Asian Studies International Association (ASIA)’s 2023 conference: Evolution of Media. Leiden, Netherlands.

Zeng, J. (2023, March 16).  “Parallel economy” on dark platforms. Invited talk at symposium: Radical Reforms - Bringing fairness to social media contracts. Utrecht, Netherlands. Link

Zeng, J. (2023, February 21). Understanding conspiracy theories in the digital media ecology. Leibniz Media Lecture. Hamburg, Germany. Link

Zeng, J. (2022, November 24). To Understand and Counteract Conspiracy Theories on Digital Platforms. Invited talk at Resilience League 2022, Tallinn, Estonia. Link

Zeng, J. (2022, May 19). Disinformation and Hate on the Internet. Invited talk at 3rd International Workshop for Women in Big Data. Zurich Switzerland. Link

Zeng, J. (2022, May 16). TikTok Book Roundtable. Invited panel talk, organised by the TikTok Cultures Research Network. Link

Zeng, J. (2022, May 13). Asian AI vs. European AI? Methodological Challenges of Cross-Cultural Research. Invited talk at AI and the Human Conference, Berlin, Germany.

Zeng, J. (2022, April 29). From Hard to Soft Content Moderation. Invited Talk at Humboldt-University of Berlin, Germany.

Zeng, J. (2022, March 21). #LegitScience: challenges and opportunities in doing effective science communication on social media. Invited talk at RETHINK-TRESCA event: Connections, Conversations and Science Communication. Brussels, Belgium.

Zeng, J. (2021, December 13). ‘AI Imaginaries’ in the Chinese Context. Invited talk at the Berlin Research 50 Workshop on Artificial Intelligence in Research. Berlin, Germany.

Zeng, J. (2021, September 24). Science Communication and misinformation online. Invited panel speaker at the Open Innovation in Life Sciences 2021Conference. Zurich, Switzerland.

Zeng, J. (2021, September 18). Local/Translocal: The Reproduction of Technological Promise. Invited talk at  London Chisenhale Gallery, UK.

Zeng, J. (2021, June 11). Citizen journalism in China. Invited talk at Global Media and China Webinar Series. Online.

Zeng, J.,  & Schäfer M. S  (2021, May 18). Covid-19 related conspiracy theories on social media. Invited talk at Jönköping University, Sweden.

Zeng J. (2018, December 11). The impact of the Social Credit System in China on non-Chinese societies. Invited talk at University of Oldenburg, Germany.

Zeng J. (2018, March 9). Ethics and dataveillance. Invited Talk at Aalborg University,  Denmark.   

Zeng J. (2018, March 7). Big data, big surveillance: China’s social credit system. Invited talk at IT University, Denmark.  

Zeng J. (2018, January 17). Distributed Surveillance: China’s rumour governance on social media. Invited talk at Hans Bredow Institute, Germany.

Zeng, J., & Mahl, D. (2023, April 14) The parallel economy: the rightwing movement creating a safe haven for deplatformed conservative influencers. The Conversation.

Abidin, C., & Zeng, J. (2021). The Conversation. ‘OK Boomer’: how a TikTok meme traces the rise of Gen Z political consciousness. Link

Zeng, J. (2020). Twitter has become a new battleground for China's wolf-warrior diplomats. The Guardian.  Link

Baker, A., Rodrigues, U., &  Zeng, J. (2020). The J Word: Can News Stop Sexual Violence? Link

Schäfer, M. S., & Zeng, J. (2020). 5G and the Virus: How science communication can challenge conspiracy theories in times of Covid-19. Elephant in the Lab. Link

Zeng, J. (2020). Sensationalist media is exacerbating racist coronavirus fears. We need to combat it. The Guardian.  Link

Zeng, J. (2018). From #MeToo to #RiceBunny: how social media users are campaigning in China. The Conversation. Link

Zeng, J. (2017). LGBTQ rights in mainland China looking gloomy after Taiwan’s new ruling on same-sex marriage. The Conversation.  Link

Zeng, J. (2017). Thinking of taking up WeChat? Here's what you need to know. The Conversation. Link

Zeng, J. (2016). Do moves against Hangzhou G20 'rumours' help show China at its best or worst? The Conversation. Link

Bayerischer Rundfunk. Warum sich Desinformation auf TikTok so effektiv verbreitet (2023/06/16). Link

Neue Zürcher Zeitung (2023/01/28). Tiktok zeigt Jugendlichen gefährliche Inhalte – doch es ist schwierig, die Videos von der Plattform zu verbannen. Link

The Atlantic (2023/01/24). Twitter Has No Answers for #DiedSuddenly. Link

Science|Business (2022/03/29). How science can fight fake news. Link

Wired (2022/02/21). TikTok Wants Longer Videos—Whether You Like It Or Not. Link

20 Minuten (2022/02/25). Mit Fake-Livestreams aus der Ukraine profitieren Tiktoker von Spenden. Link

Weekendavisen (2021/12/03). I Kina siger de #MiTu. Link

Washington Post (2020/06/18). Video evidence of anti-black discrimination in China over coronavirus fears. Link

Wired (2019/01/21). The complicated truth about China's social credit system. Link

The Guardian (2018/06/27). China’s social credit system ‘could interfere in other nations’ sovereignty’. Link

Wired (2018/03/20). How Feminists in China Are Using Emoji to Avoid Censorship. Link