Getting their Voice Heard

Chinese Environmental NGO’s Weibo Activity and Information Sharing

Bibliographic Data

ID21192583
AuthorsNan Zhang (0000-0002-8032-275X, City University of Hong Kong, corresponding author), Marko M Skoric (0000-0001-6578-9872, City University of Hong Kong)
Year2020
Volume14
Issue6
Pages844-858
Publication date2020-08-17
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEnvironmental Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1752-4032 • E-ISSN: 1752-4040
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17524032.2020.1758184
OpenAlexW3025243207
LanguageEN
Citations received19
References cited51

This study examines Chinese environmental nongovernmental organizations’ (ENGO) use of a microblogging platform Weibo and the factors that contribute to sharing of their messages. By employing the Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM) of information processing and through a content analysis of ENGOs’ Weibo posts, the study finds that the posts that have more followers and followees and those charged with negative emotions and containing dialogic content are more likely to be shared. More importantly, the results show that government-organized NGOs (GONGOs) and grassroots NGOs differ significantly in the application of Weibo strategies. The study suggests that GONGOs garner more reposts when releasing dialogic content, while grassroots NGOs benefit more from informational content and messages advocating environmental activism and consumerism. The results shed light on understanding social media strategies of Chinese ENGOs, and provide practical implications for the strategic use of Weibo in future environmental campaigns

Business · Consumerism · Content analysis · Dialogic · Grassroots · Information sharing · Microblogging · Political science · Public relations · Social media · Social science · Sociology · Complex Network Analysis Techniques · Public Relations and Crisis Communication · Social Media and Politics

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