Re-directing socialist persuasion through affective reiteration
A discourse analysis of ‘Socialist Memes’ on the Chinese internet
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20398559 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ruichen Zhang (0000-0001-7074-6666, University of Cambridge, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 2093-2104 |
| Publication date | 2023-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | AI & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0951-5666 • E-ISSN: 1435-5655 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s00146-020-01107-7 |
| OpenAlex | W3100375249 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 29 |
Previous research has noted the ambiguous persuasive potentials of reiteration: repeating a statement, slogan or image can work both positively and negatively, can both help and hinder the effectiveness of a political message. Considering that repeated propaganda in China is broadly ineffective in generating wholehearted public support, this article is interested in how and when repetition does achieve meaningful persuasion. Drawing on affect theory to address these multiple potentials, it critically reconsiders the nature of persuasion itself, arguing that affective engagement is crucial in sustaining and consolidating temporary tendencies that lead to alteration in the social fabric. Looking at humorous ‘socialist memes’ popularised on the Chinese internet in recent years, the article conducts a discourse analysis on the patterns they reveal to break down this reiterative practice as an unfolding event, revealing how its humour disrupts official language and engages the public affectively. It argues that practice of repeating these memes produces interpretive ambiguities around the official language, and in doing so re-directs socialist persuasion towards a liberalised end
Aesthetics · China · Epistemology · Literature · Media studies · Persuasion · Political science · Politics · Public discourse · Slogan · Sociology · The Internet · Computer Science · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Humor Studies and Applications · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology
Affective Publics
Ideology
Discourse and social change
The Communist Party of China and Ideology
After the Propaganda State
Domination and the Arts of Resistance
Gender Trouble
Media effects on political confidence and trust in the People's Republic of China in the post-Tiananmen period
The cost of humour
Slogans with Chinese characteristics
Harmony as language policy in China
The Pathology of Hard Propaganda
Political Action and the Unconscious
Regime legitimacy in contemporary China
Resilience to Online Censorship
Slogans as an Organizational Feature of Chinese Politics
Ideology in the Era of Xi Jinping
Regarding the pain of others
Ideology after the end of ideology. China and the quest for autocratic legitimation
Subverting official language and discourse in China? Type river crab for harmony
Language and Ideology
Doing Things With Words in Chinese Politics
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1.67 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |