Parochial Apolitical Formulation: Hong Kong Internetization and the Sexualizing Cyberspace of the Storytelling Channels of the Golden Forum and the LIHKG Forum

• Published in: Sungkyun journal of East Asian studies Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 61 - 82
• Main Author: Gabriel F. Y. Tsang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 성균관대학교 동아시아학술원 30.04.2020
• Subjects: cyberspace; Golden Forum; Hong Kong online subculture; Internetization; LIHKG Forum; storytelling channel
• ISSN: 1598-2661

Hong Kong Internetization, free from the mission of unifying public consciousness within a politically acceptable standard and towards a socialist goal, is creating locality in virtual public space, where instantaneous gratification usually overwhelms archaeological access to profound historicity. This locality is independent of the political and high-cultural locality in the real public space that suits (post)colonial interpretation. The Storytelling Channels of the Golden Forum and the LIHKG Forum prominently comply with neither mainland Chinese progressive authoritarianism nor local political agendas, but personal desires and affection instead. The anonymous writing and reading of the Forum stories, as potential outcomes of daily stress in the knowledge-based society, offer a controllable, superficial, and sensual escape into a vulgar, vernacular, but consensual textual world. Although most of the Forum stories are highly formulaic, and erotic in an androcentric and heterosexual way, some can show authorial reflection on diverse political issues, such as transgender ambivalence.