The discursive logics of online populism: social media as a “pressure valve” of public debate in China

He, Kun; Eldridge, Scott A; Broersma, Marcel

doi:10.1080/19331681.2023.2290515

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2024

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Cited by 4 publications

References 25 publications

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When war narratives encounter populist audiences: a case of the Russia-Ukraine War on Chinese social media

Yan

2024

Journal of Information Technology & Politics

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When war narratives encounter populist audiences: a case of the Russia-Ukraine War on Chinese social media

Yan

2024

Journal of Information Technology & Politics

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Evolution mechanism of massive data streams: big data processing method based on nonlinear partial differential equation model

Meng,

Wu,

2024

2024 4th International Symposium on Computer Technology and Information Science (ISCTIS)

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Internet memes, populist campaigns: Nationalism, populism, and online visual protests in China

He,

Eldridge,

Broersma

2024

Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Med

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This study examines how socially and culturally ingrained visual semiotic resources are used to demonstrate netizens’ affinities with ‘the people’ and dislikes of ‘the elite’ in expressions of online and bottom-up national populism in China. Using a methodological framework that integrates multimodal discourse analysis with a study of ideology, semiotics, and intertextuality, we study ‘weaponized’ Internet memes that were generated during three Diba Expeditions in 2016, 2018 and 2019. We identify three major social-culturally embedded visual semiotic themes: the Jiong playful style, nostalgia, and the strategic use of colour. These themes reflect the negotiation between populist dynamics, emerging online in China to express dissatisfaction with elites and nationalist appeals which emerge to push back against external ‘threats’. This study enhances our understanding of populist visual mobilization and visual protest by examining the Diaosi self-image constructed by the people in online and bottom-up populism in China. Traditionally, populist discourse has depicted ‘the people’ as pure, hardworking, and morally upright, mediated through the rhetoric of populist leaders and parties in top-down approaches. However, our research reveals a more complex and self-reflective portrayal, where the Diaosi subculture presents ‘the people’ as vulnerable, marginalized, and socio-economically disadvantaged. This self-construction challenges conventional populist narratives and highlights the dynamic and context-specific nature of populist identities.

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The discursive logics of online populism: social media as a “pressure valve” of public debate in China

Cited by 4 publications

References 25 publications

When war narratives encounter populist audiences: a case of the Russia-Ukraine War on Chinese social media

When war narratives encounter populist audiences: a case of the Russia-Ukraine War on Chinese social media

Evolution mechanism of massive data streams: big data processing method based on nonlinear partial differential equation model

Internet memes, populist campaigns: Nationalism, populism, and online visual protests in China

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