How Do Users Get Involved? Collaborative Governance in Chinese Social Media Regulation

Abstract

The rise of social media has fuelled an unprecedented surge in user-generated content, transforming it into an online public sphere. However, the proliferation of harmful content, such as misinformation, hate speech, and harassment, poses significant challenges to the integrity of this public sphere. These challenges undermine the quality of public discourse, fragment societal consensus, and erode social trust, ultimately threatening the long-term stability and development of society. In light of these threats, effective social media regulation has become an urgent and indispensable necessity. While democratic nations like the U.S. strive to balance free speech and content regulation, often constrained by constitutional protections such as the First Amendment, China’s socio-political context allows for more stringent social media regulation. This regulatory approach has evolved into a user-targeted model, reflecting the government’s focus on maintaining cyber order and social stability. Despite its effectiveness, resistance to top-down censorship persists, highlighting the need for more inclusive and participatory governance mechanisms. Participatory censorship, rooted in China’s historical practices of collective governance such as the Bound Feet Detective Squad and grassroots initiatives like Xicheng Dama, is feasible due to these practices shaping a cultural and social context conducive to its implementation. Building on this historical foundation, it offers a promising measure for addressing contemporary challenges in social media regulation. However, research on participatory censorship within the dynamic context of social media remains limited and underexplored.

This thesis addresses this gap by proposing a collaborative governance model for social media regulation, emphasizing the interaction and shared responsibility among governments, platforms, and users. Using Weibo as a case study, the research examines three participatory censorship mechanisms: Weibo reporting mechanism, Weibo supervisor, and Weibo annotation. Through a combination of case study, big data analysis, content analysis, and social network analysis, this thesis systematically investigates the characteristics, tangible outcomes, and public perceptions of participatory censorship. The findings reveal the complex dynamics of user participation in content censorship, including the proactive engagement of veteran users, the emotional resonance of misinformation, and the significant role of gender, age, and social network factors in shaping user behaviour. Additionally, while some users actively imitate official annotation tags to support the platform’s censorship practices, concerns over the opacity of mechanisms like the Weibo supervisors’ selection process persist. These insights highlight both the feasibility and challenges of integrating participatory censorship into a broader collaborative governance framework.

In conclusion, this thesis provides both theoretical and practical contributions. It expands the application of collaborative governance to digital platforms, offering a novel, multi-dimensional framework that integrates user engagement, platform accountability, and government oversight in social media regulation. Additionally, it deepens the understanding of participatory censorship by revealing its potential to enhance transparency, practical implementability, and public trust in content censorship systems. From a practical perspective, the research offers actionable recommendations for improving social media regulation, such as enhancing the transparency of user participation mechanisms and fostering cross-sector collaboration. By providing empirical evidence from the Chinese context, this thesis sheds light on the implications of participatory censorship, particularly in balancing effective content regulation with public trust and participation in the digital era.

Date of Award	3 Sept 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	City University of Hong Kong
Supervisor	Edmund CHENG (Supervisor), Richard M WALKER (Co-supervisor) & Fei SHEN (Co-supervisor)