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Winning Hearts and Minds? Cadres as Microbloggers in China

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  • Ashley Esarey

Abstract

China’s local governments are facing a crisis of public confidence and have struggled to handle political dissent and popular protests. In an attempt to promote political stability, local officials around the country have utilized Twitter-like microblog sites (??, weibo) to upgrade their capability to influence citizens and engage in rapid information management. Through the analysis of microblogging by prominent propagandists whose identities and professions are known to the public, this article finds some evidence that microblogging could be helping cadres to win hearts and minds, although such microblogging poses new risks to the state as netizens challenge propagandists and state policies in exchanges that reveal political pluralism and disapproval of state policies. While venting on weibo may enable people to blow off steam, the reluctance (or inability) of official microbloggers to engage their critics in meaningful dialogue suggests the limited utility of official microblogging as a means of furthering political stability through the improvement of state–society relations.

Suggested Citation

  • Ashley Esarey, 2015. "Winning Hearts and Minds? Cadres as Microbloggers in China," Journal of Current Chinese Affairs - China aktuell, Institute of Asian Studies, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 44(2), pages 69-103.
    • Handle: RePEc:gig:chaktu:v:44:y:2015:i:2:p:69-103
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    File URL: http://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/jcca/article/view/849
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jonathan Hassid & Wanning Sun, 2015. "Stability Maintenance and Chinese Media: Beyond Political Communication?," Journal of Current Chinese Affairs - China aktuell, Institute of Asian Studies, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 44(2), pages 3-15.
    2. Wang, Yan & Luo, Ting, 2023. "Politicizing for the idol: China’s idol fandom nationalism in pandemic," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 117741, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Orhan Hilmi Yazar, 2015. "Regulation with Chinese Characteristics: Deciphering Banking Regulation in China," Journal of Current Chinese Affairs - China aktuell, Institute of Asian Studies, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 44(2), pages 135-166.
    4. Wanning Sun, 2015. "From Poisonous Weeds to Endangered Species: Shenghuo TV, Media Ecology and Stability Maintenance," Journal of Current Chinese Affairs - China aktuell, Institute of Asian Studies, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 44(2), pages 17-37.
    5. Rongbin Han, 2015. "Manufacturing Consent in Cyberspace: China’s “Fifty-Cent Army”," Journal of Current Chinese Affairs - China aktuell, Institute of Asian Studies, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 44(2), pages 105-134.

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