Governing via platform during crisis: People’s Daily WeChat Subscription Account (SA) and the discursive production of COVID-19

ABSTRACT

In early 2020, China witnessed the first case of COVID-19. The nation strived to manage the situation through stringent measures with the help of digital technologies including platforms. This article investigates the discursive production of COVID-19 on People’s Daily Subscription Account (SA, dingyue hao), a state-affiliated media channel on the WeChat platform. Through a mixed approach using the walkthrough method and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this article uncovers the power dynamics existing within WeChat and how such dynamics shape the mode of discursive production during the health crisis. Findings reveal the role of People’s Daily in commanding mainstream discursive production in support of the Chinese Communist Party’s continuous quest to legitimise its use of platform media to guide its political subjects and supervise everyday practices of social life. This article can potentially contribute to consolidating understandings of the role of platform media in shaping political governance in contemporary China.

KEYWORDS:

• WeChat
• COVID-19
• platform governance
• digital media
• China

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. gsdata (清博智能) is a major data mining organisation that provides statistical analysis and insights of China’s new media industry. It has cooperated with and delivered big-data research services to leading Chinese technological firms. For more information, refer to http://www.gsdata.cn/

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mark Bo Chen

Mark Bo Chen is a recent graduate student with a Master of Global Media Communication degree from the University of Melbourne. His research interests include digital/platform media, internet cultures and China.

Wilfred Yang Wang

Wilfred Yang Wang is a Lecturer in Media and Communications Studies at the University of Melbourne. His works relate to digital/platform media, mobile media and migration, digital geographies, and China. He is the author of Digital Media in Urban China: Locating Guangzhou (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019).