![]() Since maximising traffic, growing followers and securing advertising revenue are paramount, WSAs will provide what their intended users want. Some have tried to produce independent content, but this aspiration is mostly overshadowed by the need to produce clickbait headlines. While some WeChat accounts promote Chinese government interests, Chinese-language social media platforms are business operations and not funded by any government. This research reveals a more complex picture, which calls into question some statements made about the Chinese-language media’s foreign influence. It is important to question to what extent this sector is an instrument of Chinese government influence. These media outlets are Australian content providers that serve local markets, but are subject to Chinese platform and content regulations as China-registered accounts. The user-friendly nature of WeChat and the capacity for infinite reproduction of content ensures online outlets can maximise their reach, profit and impact. They use revenue-generating mechanisms to maximise clicks and therefore income from advertising. WSAs nestle in the Weixin ecosystem (thus subject to rules governing PRC users) and are popular among middle-aged and older users. A 2021 survey confirms this trend remains largely unchanged.Īmong Chinese-language news media outlets in Australia, the most notable are the WeChat Subscription Accounts (WSAs), which are run by Chinese migrant content entrepreneurs to target Chinese migrants living in Australia. ![]() WeChat was the most used social media platform, with 92 per cent accessing it hourly or several times daily. Over 60 per cent of respondents reported they ‘always’ used Chinese social media to access news. This is highlighted by data from two surveys conducted on Chinese Australians in 2018–19. This five-year study shows that the Chinese social media platform WeChat - and its Chinese version Weixin - is one of the main news channels used by Chinese Australians. Considering this, a five-year study was undertaken. But little has been done to understand Chinese-language media in Australia. WeChat, owned by China’s Tencent, is often blamed for disseminating propaganda to Chinese diasporic communities.Īnxiety about China is neither new nor unique. Some claim Chinese-language media outlets in Australia are primarily instruments of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). ![]() Central is anxiety about the Chinese government’s possible use of diasporic Chinese communities and its media to push its influence. Recent narratives surrounding People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s influence have framed Australia’s Chinese-language media as problematic. Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the PacificĪuthors: Wanning Sun, UTS, and Haiqing Yu, RMIT
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