These are private or semi-private networks. OAs generate and dispatch content to their subscribers, and subsequent dissemination happens when users share content within chat groups and Moments, WeChat’s news feed–like feature. Unlike Twitter and Facebook, WeChat does not have hashtags or trending topics. ICYMI: “It’s a story that I think can potentially save people’s lives” Most metropolitan areas in the US with an established immigrant Chinese population have their own OAs specializing in local news and consumer information. There is a low barrier to entry, and becoming an OA grants access to the vast user base to focus on niche audiences. For example, in the screenshot to the right, the article covering the recent “free speech” rally in Boston sourced from venues such as ABC, Facebook, and WBUR, Boston’s local NPR station.īy the last official count in April 2017, there were 10 million OAs in WeChat. News content on OAs can be original but are often repackaged from other media sources. Think of NowThis, or political blogs that only exist within a social platform rather than on the open web. OAs are in-platform, content-based accounts that anyone can start, and they vary greatly in their activity level and size of operation. Many information outlets, known as Official Accounts (OAs), are native to WeChat. ![]() For these companies, data is not only something to be monetized, but also coveted information ultimately under control of Chinese authorities. This is not uncommon: Weibo, the microblogging site whose popularity was eclipsed by Wechat, restricted its API a few years ago. This hybrid platform provides no API, which restricts analysis of its content and user behavior. With features reminiscent of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter, WeChat combines the intimacy of mobile messaging and small-group interactions with the capacity for viral dissemination. With support from the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, my team at the University of Southern California is collaborating with The Alhambra Source and Asian American Advancing Justice to assess the nature of bias and misinformation in WeChat and ethnic Chinese media and to explore strategies for intervention. A huge number of organizations post to WeChat, but there is little to no information available identifying the influential players-the Politicos and the Breitbarts of the platform. Like the English media world, WeChat is characterized by a dazzling array of content generators and the potential for polarization. ![]() ICYMI: Some WSJ staffers are probably unhappy right now They still actively stoke right-wing sentiment, with recent headlines such as “Liberal media threatens to violently destroy Mount Rushmore,” “George Soros backed the violence in Charlottesville,” and “Illegal Immigrant Started Wildfire in Sonoma County.” Partisan news outlets native to WeChat sprung up during the 2016 election, and continue to this day. In the US, it emerged as a primary avenue for pro-Trump sentiments and mobilization, especially for first-generation Chinese immigrants. It is the social media platform of choice in mainland China, used for everything from social networking and messaging to takeout orders and personal finance. With 889 million monthly active users, WeChat has more than triple the user base of Snapchat and half that of Facebook. Anti-Hillary memes and conspiracy theories about sharia law found their way onto the mobile messaging platform, which serves the growing number of Chinese immigrants in the United States. ![]() The popular and opaque social media app WeChat has been largely overlooked as a culprit in spreading misinformation during and after the 2016 election season.
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