Hai from Shanghai

Yet Another Ex-Pat Blog

Rumor, Lies, and Weibo: How Social Media is Changing the Nature of Truth in China

The tug-of-war between the government and the people over truth and rumor happens every day in today’s China. The rise of social media has made the struggle harder and the stakes higher. … “Why does the U.S. not censor rumors?” asked one Weibo user last November. “No matter how wild they are, nobody bans them, and the creators of rumors do not worry about getting arrested. Perhaps for places where truth persists, rumors have no harm. Only places that lack truth are fearful of rumors.”

Had the censors tried to look for the original writer of this message, they would not have found him or her. The name is lost amid millions of others, who forward the message after each round of rumor-clearing seizes Weibo in a state-run information purge that can never quite keep up.

Posted 1 year ago

2 notes

Tags: the atlantic, social media, censorship, china, WeiBo, politics,
1. greggyour reblogged this from shang-hi
2. shang-hi posted this

Likes

Photo via citriccomics

CYBERDOG

Photo via citriccomics
Video via wuluwu

SHANGHAI’S GANGNAM GRANNIES

Video via wuluwu
Post via wuluwu

HOW MY ST PATRICK'S DAY ENDED

Post via wuluwu
Photo via theweekmagazine

Huskies look pretty pumped to be taking part in a training session at Feshiebridge, in Aviemore,...

Photo via theweekmagazine
Post via wuluwu

WALKING PAST THAT CD HAWKER ON DONGHU LU WHO'S ALWAYS PLAYING 'THE ROSE'

Post via wuluwu