Examining Daily Activities and Propaganda on Government Social Media in China:: A Case Study of Weibo Use by Beijing Police Department

Abstract

This study systematically examined the Beijing Police Department (BPD) daily use of social media. We collected six-month daily posts, the corresponding interactions (likes, shares, and comments), and the most active followers' profiles from the Weibo account of the BPD to answer these questions: what content the BPD posted on a daily basis on its Weibo account; what the daily work schedule of the BPD's Weibo account administrators was like; whether the content was customized for different groups of citizens; what media types they used to engage with followers; and the impact of fake followers on engagement rates. We found that besides dealing with crime and enforcing law, the Weibo administrators of the BPD also act as educators especially for the city's newcomers. The fake accounts do not affect the overall engagement rate significantly. This study also uncovers the dilemma faced by the BPD in trying to juggle the promotion of national ideological propaganda, efforts to experiment with engagement strategies, and building trusting relationships with citizens.