http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9729-0870
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Abstract
Since 2011, Chinese environmental authorities have undertaken a project of “occupying” online spaces and social media such as Weibo. This has been analysed alternatively as an attempt to improve environmental governance, or as a new tool of control over online environmental discourses. This article investigates the use of microblogs by 172 local environmental authorities in Shandong province, whose multi-level microblogging system is seen as a model for other provinces, analysing whether this system improves environmental governance, and whether this objective is impeded by practices aimed at controlling online environmental discourse. We find limited evidence of improved environmental governance, as attested by enhanced information disclosure and citizen engagement. Instead, Environmental Protection Bureau communication appears obstructed by floods of diversionary content. We suggest that while these behaviours are likely driven by misaligned incentives and fears of triggering social unrest, they also support the goal of discursive control by occupation.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Supplemental data
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.
Notes
1 For example, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the UK environment agency have both published guidelines explaining how they use social media to diffuse information about their work, inform the public in the case of major incidents and reply to citizens' queries (e.g. for the UK environment agency: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/303211/Social_Media_Guidance.pdf and for EPA: https://www.epa.gov/web-policies-and-procedures/list-social-media-platforms-epa-uses)
2 The only precedent for this kind of multi-level microblog system was the much smaller experiment in the 38 district-level EPBs of Chongqing Municipality in China’s south-west in 2011. However, there is no evidence that it served as a model for the Shandong system. In parallel, it also opened Wechat accounts.
3 Since neither the Provincial notice of 21 June 2013 regarding the setting up of the EPB Weibo system, nor the “management rules of the Shandong province EPB microblog” and the “provincial multilevel EPB microblog system” were publicised, this analysis is based on the leaked Provisional rules for the management of the EPB microblog system in Dezhou prefecture accessed on wenku.baidu.com, corroborated by partial information mentioned in local newspapers articles and in interviews.
4 Shandong “provisional rules regarding the use of randomized spot check of the implementation and rectification of environmental pollution problems discovered and reported by the masses”, of 19 May 2018.
5 Shandong province “Notice on improving government openness” 6 July 2018.
6 Relevant posts mean all the EPB posts that appeared on the timeline of the research account and other EPB followers.
7 @mentionining is a functionality within microblogging platforms which enables a user to tag another user in their posts. The text of the @mention will contain a hyperlink to the mentioned user's profile, and the @mentioned user will receive notification that they have been mentioned.
8 The small portion of these posts that could be linked to environmental protection were categorized as societal environmental information.
9 Verification is a status afforded by Weibo. To apply for verified status, accounts must have at least 100 followers and 30 friends, at least two of which are verified accounts. Companies and organisations must pay fees and submit materials to apply.
10 Original posts mean those that are not forwards. Being an original post is a necessary but not sufficient condition for being original content, as information could, for instance, have been copied and pasted from other sources.
11 This results from the use of a Weibo functionality that allows for forwarding to also appear in a comment.
12 A post with 10 comments, five of which were “forward microblog”, two of which were “[praise China]”, and three of which were “[praise China] [praise China]” would be considered to have three unique comments.