Getting their Voice Heard: Chinese Environmental NGO’s Weibo Activity and Information Sharing

ABSTRACT

This study examines Chinese environmental nongovernmental organizations’ (ENGO) use of a microblogging platform Weibo and the factors that contribute to sharing of their messages. By employing the Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM) of information processing and through a content analysis of ENGOs’ Weibo posts, the study finds that the posts that have more followers and followees and those charged with negative emotions and containing dialogic content are more likely to be shared. More importantly, the results show that government-organized NGOs (GONGOs) and grassroots NGOs differ significantly in the application of Weibo strategies. The study suggests that GONGOs garner more reposts when releasing dialogic content, while grassroots NGOs benefit more from informational content and messages advocating environmental activism and consumerism. The results shed light on understanding social media strategies of Chinese ENGOs, and provide practical implications for the strategic use of Weibo in future environmental campaigns.

KEYWORDS:

• China
• environmental NGO
• Weibo
• HSM
• information sharing

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Nan ZHANG, upon reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

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