「牆」無處不在：在臺陸生在網絡空間的邊界化

Abstract

互聯網於1990年代興起，中國政府旋即興建互聯網「防火長城」（The Great Firewall，又稱防火牆、「牆」），實施互聯網管制。中國的「90後」 見證過風靡全球的社交媒體被屏蔽、微博短暫作為社會批判的互聯網公共空間的時期，經歷了中國互聯網監管逐漸緊縮、互聯網自由空間縮減的變化。90後的在臺「大陸地區學生」（簡稱「陸生」）從需要翻牆才能到牆外的「牆內」，到較能自由穿梭內外的「牆外」，不僅在實體空間上經歷移動與邊界化（bordering），也不斷經歷網絡空間的移動與邊界化。 首先，「牆」作為一種數位邊界，並非穩固不變的連續體，也非毫無穿越之可能，對於互聯網使用者而言也具有多重意義。在臺灣人與中國人交會的網絡空間中，時常看到以「牆」作為我群、他群的劃分，因而「牆」不僅是技術性的邊界，也是象徵邊界。然而，「牆」並非影響陸生移動性的唯一邊界。本研究探討陸生在牆內與牆外的移動與邊界化經驗發現，對於陸生而言，演算法、身份與意識形態及政治正確、假／意向性再現訊息都是互聯網邊界。至此，作為「互聯網邊界」的「牆」無所不在，甚至如影隨形。尤其，當陸生移動到防火長城外時，內蘊於陸生的「身份」強化了邊界化，與其他移動主體不可比擬。移動的政治性催生在臺陸生在牆外特殊的邊界化經驗。 其次，在作為互聯網邊界「牆」無處不在，甚至如影隨形的網絡空間中，本研究透過指認陸生的「跨界」與「自我劃界」兩種邊界化實踐，呈現陸生在移動能動性展現，以及移動政治的複雜樣貌，描繪在中國互聯網防火長城外有關自由的霸權論述中，不同移動主體對移動自由的差異敘事。本研究也發現，以陸生在網絡空間的移動而言，「情感」是重要的分析，幫助我們看見邊界的多重意義，也能夠看見陸生移動的政治性。特別是在COVID-19期間，互聯網上交織著中國政府官方的情感動員論述、中美與中臺的地緣政治與意識形態競爭情感論述衝擊陸生，激發陸生更加猛烈的「跨界」與「自我劃界」。總之，本研究超越將實體以及網絡空間都劃分為自由民主、非自由以及專制領域的地緣政治視野，以更寬闊的視野看待網絡空間邊界化，以及不同移動主體的移動政治。

The rise of the internet in the 1990s was swiftly followed by the construction of China's "Great Firewall," a digital boundary that implemented internet censorship. The post-90s generation in China witnessed the global popularity of social media being blocked, the brief period of microblogs as a space for societal critique, and the gradual tightening of China's internet regulations leading to a reduction in online freedom. Taiwanese mainland Chinese students of the post-90s era, referred to as "mainland students," have experienced a transformation from needing to bypass the "wall" to access the "outside the wall," to having relatively freer movement between the inside and outside, both physically and within the digital realm.

Firstly, the "wall" as a digital border is neither an immutable barrier nor entirely impervious, holding multiple meanings for internet users. Within the online space where Taiwanese and Chinese individuals converge, the "wall" frequently serves as a demarcation between "us" and "them," representing not just a technical boundary but also a symbolic one. However, the "wall" is not the sole boundary affecting the mobility of mainland students. This study investigates the experiences of mainland students in navigating and bordering within and outside the "wall." It reveals that algorithms, identity and ideology, politically correct discourse, and intentional/misleading information are all components of internet boundaries for these students. Thus, the "wall," as an "internet boundary," is ever-present, even evoking a sense of omnipresence. Notably, when mainland students traverse beyond the Great Firewall, their entrenched "identities" intensify the bordering process, setting them apart from other mobile subjects. The political nature of mobility gives rise to the unique bordering experience of mainland students in Taiwan.

Furthermore, in the omnipresent cyberspace shaped by the "wall," this study explores the practices of "crossing boundaries" and "self-delineation" to illustrate the agency of mainland students in mobility and the complex facets of mobile politics. It depicts different narratives of mobility freedom among various mobile subjects in the discourse surrounding freedom beyond China's internet censorship. The study also unveils the significance of "emotion" in understanding the movements of mainland students in the digital realm, enabling a multifaceted comprehension of borders and revealing the political dimension of their mobility. Particularly during the COVID-19 period, the intertwining of official Chinese government emotional mobilization discourse, geopolitical dynamics between China, the US, and Taiwan, and ideological competition generated an impact on mainland students, intensifying their "crossing boundaries" and "self-delineation" endeavors. In conclusion, this study surpasses the traditional geopolitical perspective that categorizes physical and online spaces into domains of freedom, non-freedom, and authoritarianism. Instead, it provides a broader view of digital bordering and the politics of mobility among diverse mobile subjects.