Social network service platforms and China’s cyber nationalism in the web 2.0 age

Abstract

In adapting to the Web 2.0 era, ideological institutions have created a new cyber style that entails actively participating in daily interaction with netizens. This change gives such institutions a double identity, changing the ecology of cyber nationalism. As one example, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League (CCCYL) has been rather prominent in its strategy of using and strengthening cyber nationalism. The CCCYL has opened official accounts on the most popular social networking platforms, which mainly target young people. CCYL online operators adapt their nationalist mobilisation to cyber trends by popularising propaganda, participating in discussions on topical news, making and sharing animation videos and so on. A new type of nationalist emotion among young people has provided ready-made resources.