How Does the Chinese Government Use Social Media to Control and Direct the Collective Actions of Overseas Chinese Communities

Abstract

Through the analysis of social media platforms, this study hopes to understand how the Chinese government exerts specific influence on the behavior of overseas Chinese through these media, and further explore how the country indirectly supports the practice of national strategic policy through the control of social media platforms. This study will mainly analyze the data of the three major mainstream media (wechat, Weibo and Facebook) to study and discuss how the Chinese government uses the platform of social media to achieve its national strategic goals. In addition, the study assesses the role of such controls in supporting China's soft power building and national strategies such as the Belt and Road Initiative, and explores their potential long-term impacts and risks. By comparing implementation effects in different regions, this study provides an in-depth understanding of how the Chinese government uses social media to exert influence overseas in the context of globalization.