The ties that bind: How the dominance of WeChat combines withguanxito inhibit and constrain China’s contentious politics

Abstract

Despite the market dominance of WeChat in contemporary China, we currently know little about its significance for Chinese politics. WeChat enables strong-tie communicative networks, which prior research indicates is consequential for contentious political engagement. Drawing on evidence from focus groups conducted with Chinese citizens in the United Kingdom, we reveal that although WeChat users are often connected through offline social and professional networks, contentious politics manifests on the app only under a narrow range of circumstances. Furthermore, political contention on WeChat is reported by our respondents to be largely confined to matters of ‘interest-oriented’ and/or ‘safe’ topics that do not challenge the wider political system. This trend is driven by a combination of political and cultural dynamics which we elaborate in a theoretically informed thematic analysis, arguing that engaging with the concept of guanxi provides more insight into the political repercussions of WeChat in China than a focus on tie strength.