Political information use on WeChat and political discussion in China: toward a networked political discussion model

Abstract

This study was conducted to test the relationships between WeChat (a popular Chinese mobile SNS) and a number of variables including the structural features of users’ networks, the use of political information on WeChat, political discussions, and political attitudes. The results of this study showed that the use of political information by WeChat users on this platform affected their political discussions and political attitudes. Furthermore, both positive and negative WeChat political discussions mediated the effects of the use of political information on political attitudes. Additionally, the connectedness of networks significantly lowered the likelihood of individual users to comment negatively on politics. These findings indicate that WeChat users with diverse social networks are more likely to engage in positive political discussions than in negative political discussions. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.

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