Using Social Media for Agenda Setting in Chinese Government’s Communications During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic

Qingning Wang

13 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Communication Inquiry

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Communication and COVID-19 Impact Media Studies and Communication Public Relations and Crisis Communication

Abstract

This research provide a case study to analyses how Chinese government's social-media accounts were used to communicate during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of agenda-setting. Two most active Chinese government official accounts on Sina Weibo, the most popular Chinese social media platform, are selected as examples. The frequencies and content of postings between December 2019 and May 2020, namely the period of the first outbreak of COVID-19, are analysed. The research argues that Chinese government official accounts frequently posted during this period, and three aspects were most salient in the communication: information regarding the virus, US-China relations during the pandemic, and emotional tributes to public servants. The salience of these aspects contributed to narratives that reinforce Chinese government's efforts in fighting the pandemic, and enable positive portrayal of government to be more visible in the online public space.

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References

1972The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media 2005A Look at Agenda-setting: past, present and future 2011The impact of polices on government social media usage: Issues, challenges, and recommendations 2000Politics as Usual: The Cyberspace “Revolution”2013Government innovation through social media 2009Is There an Elite Hold? Traditional Media to Social Media Agenda Setting Influence in Blog Networks 2007The Mass Media's Political Agenda-Setting Power 1990Blaming others for threatening events.

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