Interesting read. I like that you mentioned that there are people working within the system who do genuinely do it because they have a passion for media/journalism, because there are indeed many people like that. I’m also not sure that China & state media are entirely to blame for Twitter’s downfall though — I would be more inclined to suggest that state media merely contributed to it, or more likely, took advantage of changes that were being made to suit Musk’s own political ambitions with Trump & conservatism, such as the paid-for blue ticks & post-boosting. But there are other countries who have staged much more successful campaigns to amplify dis- and misinformation on Twitter in a much more sophisticated & subtle manner. Russia comes to mind. As long as the primary goal in China is to produce content that the 领导s approve of, any attempt to artificially reach Western audiences is bound to fail. I just hope that there are enough people still within the system who are aware of the negative impact that some state media accounts are now having — turning more people off China than anything else. And really, at the end of the day, if genuine, authentic human stories were being told, people might still give them a chance, even though they may be aware of the restrictions and censorship, because at the end of the day, if you are curious about China, you don’t want to hear a white person mansplain it to you. Instead, you’d want to hear from Chinese people themselves, understand what they think & how different groups within China see their country and the world. It is just sad that China’s foray into social media has distorted how people both within and outside of China perceive it. I also hope that if people do have a platform, they can think seriously about how best to use it. Stoking nationalism and divisiveness is not a responsible use of any platform, anywhere. People also need to be mindful of not emulating the behaviour or actions of the very people they oppose. Because actively encouraging one group of people to dislike or even hate another is precisely how wars and conflicts are started.
Interesting insights. I think Chinese state media can hardly be blamed for burning down Twitter, though. They had maybe 0.1% of the responsibility. I also think that outside of China their points of view appeal to the illiberal, whether on the left or the right. For now such people are mostly staying away from BlueSky.
I really hope the Chinese state reps of Twitter do move over to BlueSky, I will be so sad if I don't get to read Hua Chunying quoting Pele and throwing shade at the US anymore.
Interesting read. I like that you mentioned that there are people working within the system who do genuinely do it because they have a passion for media/journalism, because there are indeed many people like that. I’m also not sure that China & state media are entirely to blame for Twitter’s downfall though — I would be more inclined to suggest that state media merely contributed to it, or more likely, took advantage of changes that were being made to suit Musk’s own political ambitions with Trump & conservatism, such as the paid-for blue ticks & post-boosting. But there are other countries who have staged much more successful campaigns to amplify dis- and misinformation on Twitter in a much more sophisticated & subtle manner. Russia comes to mind. As long as the primary goal in China is to produce content that the 领导s approve of, any attempt to artificially reach Western audiences is bound to fail. I just hope that there are enough people still within the system who are aware of the negative impact that some state media accounts are now having — turning more people off China than anything else. And really, at the end of the day, if genuine, authentic human stories were being told, people might still give them a chance, even though they may be aware of the restrictions and censorship, because at the end of the day, if you are curious about China, you don’t want to hear a white person mansplain it to you. Instead, you’d want to hear from Chinese people themselves, understand what they think & how different groups within China see their country and the world. It is just sad that China’s foray into social media has distorted how people both within and outside of China perceive it. I also hope that if people do have a platform, they can think seriously about how best to use it. Stoking nationalism and divisiveness is not a responsible use of any platform, anywhere. People also need to be mindful of not emulating the behaviour or actions of the very people they oppose. Because actively encouraging one group of people to dislike or even hate another is precisely how wars and conflicts are started.
Are you referring to Zhu Jun or someone else? (I won't be surprised if there're multiple metoo cases.)
Interesting insights. I think Chinese state media can hardly be blamed for burning down Twitter, though. They had maybe 0.1% of the responsibility. I also think that outside of China their points of view appeal to the illiberal, whether on the left or the right. For now such people are mostly staying away from BlueSky.
I really hope the Chinese state reps of Twitter do move over to BlueSky, I will be so sad if I don't get to read Hua Chunying quoting Pele and throwing shade at the US anymore.