The fifth generation of wireless infrastructure (5G) has become a globally controversial topic, extending beyond its technical aspects to encompass socio-economic and political factors. Unlike previous generations, 5G is extensively discussed in mainstream media, where power and values intertwine. This study emphasizes the significant role of mass media in shaping public perception of technology, building upon previous research on media discourses regarding technology such as hackers, biotechnology, and gene editing. While existing research has explored 5G representations within specific countries, this study offers a comparative analysis of its portrayal in the Chinese and British press. China and Britain are selected due to Huawei's prominent role in 5G technology and its complex relationship with the UK. The study investigates how 5G is perceived within this evolving socio-political context. The study first reviews the existing literature on media discourse concerning 5G, then outlines its methodology of corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis, and finally presents its findings, analysis, and conclusion.

Previous research on 5G and media discourse predominantly focuses on two areas: 1) the spread of 5G conspiracy theories in digital media, and 2) the media framing of Huawei. Studies like Buarque (2022) analyze the multimodal discourse of 5G conspiracy videos, while Yang and Kang (2020) use text mining to examine Huawei's portrayal in global media. Gagliardone et al. (2021) compare 5G conspiracy representations across Nigeria and South Africa. However, research on 5G representations in news media is limited, with a few exceptions such as Mansell and Plantin (2020) on the British press, Ventsel et al. (2021) on Russian media, and Dong and Gao (2022) on German media. Campbell et al. (2021) examine 5G representations in Chinese and US advertisements. This study, drawing on critical discourse studies (CDS), aims to fill this gap by providing a comparative corpus-assisted analysis of 5G portrayals in the Chinese and British press.

This study employs a corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis, combining corpus-assisted discourse studies (CADS) and Wodak's discourse-historical approach (DHA) within CDS. CADS uses corpus linguistic techniques like frequency, keyword, collocation, and concordance analyses to uncover linguistic patterns in large datasets. The keyword analysis helps to identify important concepts and ideologies. DHA integrates historical, political, and socio-cognitive dimensions into the analysis of discursive events, encompassing thematic analysis, discursive strategies, and linguistic means. The study collected data from the Lexis-Nexis database, extracting news articles containing "5G" or "fifth generation of wireless infrastructure" from China Daily (CC) and The Guardian, The Times, and The Daily Telegraph (BC) between May 13, 2013, and June 13, 2022. After removing duplicates, 657 articles were included in the CC and 577 in the BC. The British National Corpus (BNC) served as a comparison corpus. WordSmith 8.0 was used for keyword analysis (using log-likelihood and log ratio statistics), collocation analysis, and concordance analysis. Keywords appearing in at least 10% of texts and meeting statistical significance criteria were selected. Thematic categorization of keywords was based on concordance analysis. The analysis then delves into discursive strategies, including predication, argumentation, perspectivation, and intensification/mitigation, to understand how 5G is represented. The study uses statistical measures such as log-likelihood and log ratio to assess the significance of differences in keyword frequency between the two corpora.

The analysis identified four recurring themes: problem definition (nature of 5G), social actors, actions around 5G, and timing (years and the COVID-19 era). Regarding the nature of 5G, the Chinese corpus (CC) used overwhelmingly positive evaluative language, emphasizing 5G's benefits and China's leadership role. The British corpus (BC) employed more negative language, highlighting risks and uncertainties, and linking 5G to conspiracy theories. The analysis of Huawei revealed contrasting portrayals. CC presented Huawei positively, emphasizing its technological leadership and contributions. BC framed Huawei negatively, focusing on security concerns and the influence of US pressure on UK policy decisions. Actions surrounding 5G showed CC emphasizing comprehensive actions across research, infrastructure development, and applications, while BC focused primarily on downstream applications and negative events like attacks on 5G masts. Regarding timing, CC highlighted positive future projections and China's achievements in 5G development, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. BC focused on the spread of 5G-related conspiracy theories and misinformation during the pandemic, linking 5G to negative health consequences and government control. The analysis showed a clear difference in the use of negative language, with "anti-5G" terms significantly more frequent in BC.

The findings demonstrate significant differences in how the Chinese and British press represent 5G, reflecting distinct socio-political contexts and journalistic ideologies. The positive portrayal in CC aligns with China's national narrative of technological advancement and economic growth. The negative portrayal in BC is influenced by geopolitical rivalries, security concerns (particularly regarding Huawei), and the spread of conspiracy theories. The use of scapegoating strategies in BC, by highlighting US pressure on UK decisions, is a significant aspect of this difference. This study highlights the role of media in shaping public perception and the potential influence of geopolitical factors on scientific discourse. The contrasting framing of 5G and Huawei reveals how national interests and ideologies intersect with technological narratives.

This study reveals a significant difference in the portrayal of 5G in the Chinese and British press. Chinese media emphasizes the positive aspects, aligning with a national narrative of technological success, while British media highlights geopolitical concerns and negative narratives, often linking 5G to conspiracy theories. Future research could explore how these different representations impact public perception and policy decisions, and also analyze the role of social media in amplifying these narratives. It is crucial for news outlets to provide balanced reporting on technological advancements, de-emphasizing political biases and prioritizing scientific accuracy.

This study is limited by its focus on specific newspapers within China and the UK. The findings may not be generalizable to all media outlets within these countries. Furthermore, the analysis relies on a specific timeframe, and the representations of 5G may evolve over time. The study also acknowledges limitations associated with the inherently subjective nature of thematic analysis and interpretations of discursive strategies.