{"title":"Grassroots, Astroturf, or Something in Between? Semi-Official WeChat Accounts as Covert Vectors of Party-State Influence in Contemporary China","authors":"Jackson Paul Neagli","doi":"10.1177/1868102621989717","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"This article explores a facet of the Chinese propaganda apparatus that has yet to receive sufficient academic attention: the murky ecosystem of “semi-official” party-state presences on Chinese social media. With a particular focus on WeChat public accounts, this investigation responds to two critical research questions: first, what differentiates official party-state social media presences from semi-official presences, and second, what unique role do semi-official WeChat accounts play in the contemporary Chinese propaganda apparatus? This article samples content published by five dyads of official and semi-official WeChat public accounts during the first fifteen days of June 2019. The results of this comparative, case-study-based discourse analysis support two conclusions. First, semi-official WeChat accounts posture as independent from the party-state in order to attract large followings and gain credibility. Second, semi-official WeChat public accounts operate as “astroturfed influencers,” enabling the Chinese propaganda apparatus to covertly manipulate online discourse with extraordinary efficiency.","PeriodicalId":37907,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Current Chinese Affairs","volume":"207 1","pages":"180 - 208"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2021-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"2","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Current Chinese Affairs","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1868102621989717","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"Social Sciences","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 2
Abstract
This article explores a facet of the Chinese propaganda apparatus that has yet to receive sufficient academic attention: the murky ecosystem of “semi-official” party-state presences on Chinese social media. With a particular focus on WeChat public accounts, this investigation responds to two critical research questions: first, what differentiates official party-state social media presences from semi-official presences, and second, what unique role do semi-official WeChat accounts play in the contemporary Chinese propaganda apparatus? This article samples content published by five dyads of official and semi-official WeChat public accounts during the first fifteen days of June 2019. The results of this comparative, case-study-based discourse analysis support two conclusions. First, semi-official WeChat accounts posture as independent from the party-state in order to attract large followings and gain credibility. Second, semi-official WeChat public accounts operate as “astroturfed influencers,” enabling the Chinese propaganda apparatus to covertly manipulate online discourse with extraordinary efficiency.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Current Chinese Affairs is an internationally refereed academic journal published by the GIGA Institute of Asian Studies, Hamburg. The journal focuses on current developments in Greater China. It is simultaneously published (three times per year) online as an Open Access journal and as a printed version with a circulation of 1,000 copies, making it one of the world’s most widely read periodicals on Asian affairs. The Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, unlike some other Open Access publications, does not charge its authors any fee. The Journal of Current Chinese Affairs reaches a broad international readership in academia, administration and business circles. It is devoted to the transfer of scholarly insights to a wide audience. The journal is committed to publishing high-quality, original research on current issues in China in a format and style that is accessible across disciplines and to professionals with an interest in the region. The editors welcome contributions on current affairs within Greater China, including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Submissions can focus on emerging topics and current developments as well as on future-oriented debates in the fields of China''s global and regional roles; political, economic and social developments including foreign affairs, business, finance, cultural industries, religion, education, science and technology; and so on.
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