Original
Subversive Amplification: Online Dissent and the Limits of Information Control in China
Abstract
Abstract Intensified information control severely constrains digital contention in China, yet online mass events occasionally occur. Using a dataset of 274,721 Weibo messages, this study examines mobilization, coordination and grievance articulation during a two-day episode of online dissent in the aftermath of the 2022 Urumqi residential building fire, which preceded the White Paper protests. It argues that users were activated by public communication failures that transformed manifold grievances into outrage, and that the associated hashtags provided anchors to which criticism could be attached. In a process this study terms “subversive amplification,” concentrated engagement amplified the hashtags’ visibility, and with it the critical content attached to them. However, absent the unifying function of opinion leaders, grievance articulation remained fragmented and did not converge on unified demands. The case illustrates the inherent vulnerabilities of information control but also the conditions and limits of their exploitation.
中文
颠覆性放大：网络异见与中国信息控制的限度
摘要
摘要 强化的信息控制严重制约了中国的数字抗争，然而网络群体性事件仍时有发生。本研究利用一个包含274,721条微博信息的数据集，考察2022年乌鲁木齐住宅楼火灾后为期两天的网络异见事件中的动员、协调与不满表达，该事件先于白纸抗议。研究认为，用户被公共传播失灵所激活，这种失灵将多重不满转化为愤怒，而相关话题标签则提供了可附着批评的锚点。在这一被本研究称为“颠覆性放大”的过程中，集中的参与放大了话题标签的可见性，也放大了附着其上的批判性内容。然而，在缺乏意见领袖统一功能的情况下，不满表达仍然碎片化，并未汇聚为统一诉求。该案例既说明了信息控制的内在脆弱性，也说明了利用这些脆弱性的条件与限度。
关键词
信息控制、网络异见、数字抗争、微博、颠覆性放大、不满表达、公共传播失灵、中国