China bans negative online posts and ‘sensational conspiracy theories’ (www.the-independent.com)
from drmoose@lemmy.world to world@lemmy.world on 23 Sep 2025 03:13
https://lemmy.world/post/36325599

China’s internet regulator on Monday launched a sweeping two-month crackdown targeting “malicious” social media content, including pessimistic economic commentary and posts promoting “negative outlooks on life,” as concerns mount over widespread youth disillusionment amid the country’s economic struggles.

The Cyberspace Administration of China announced the nationwide campaign will target content deemed to incite “violent or hostile sentiment,” including posts that spread claims like “hard work is useless” or “studying is useless”. The initiative comes as China faces record youth unemployment of 18.9% in August 2025 and persistent economic headwinds.

#world

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drmoose@lemmy.world on 23 Sep 2025 03:17 next collapse

1 in 5 young adults is unemployed and the official strategy is 🤫

apenstaartje@lemmy.cafe on 23 Sep 2025 05:06 next collapse

Maybe they could employ them to come to Lemmy and argue about how great China is? SOLAR PANELS AND…and… dang it.

WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world on 23 Sep 2025 15:19 collapse

High-speed rail.

arcterus@piefed.blahaj.zone on 23 Sep 2025 06:16 collapse

This really feels like their go-to solution in the past decade or so. Silence whatever they think is the problem and then maybe try to fix it later (sometimes by “fixing” the wrong thing). Tbf this seems to the goal of a lot of states now, unfortunately.

ByteJunk@lemmy.world on 23 Sep 2025 07:12 next collapse

This strategy is absolutely unviable in the West.

Instead, the dumbest idiots with a useful narrative are given massive megaphones and drown out everyone else.

Say what you want, but looks like a pick your poison kind of situation to me…

drmoose@lemmy.world on 23 Sep 2025 07:14 next collapse

Yeah I feel when shit will go down in China it’ll be huge not only domestically but internationally and we’re not ready for that. Thats the problem with centralized systems even if you ignore the issues with authoritarianism that there’s no hedging and organic oposition for self correction so you get these massive breaks like the cultural revolution and the Chinese learned absolutely nothing it seems.

LouNeko@lemmy.world on 23 Sep 2025 08:42 collapse

Also, if any other country upsets it’s citizens you have a couple tens of thousand people riled up, millions max. If China does it, it’s going to be a quarter of humanity.

Danquebec@sh.itjust.works on 25 Sep 2025 01:05 collapse

When China sneezes, the world trembles

Or something

SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world on 24 Sep 2025 15:41 collapse

That’s how they’ve been running things since they shot all those college students in 1989

Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world on 23 Sep 2025 03:33 next collapse

Here’s a conspiracy theory for them: June 4, 1989

i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca on 23 Sep 2025 03:38 next collapse

Absolutely nothing happened on June 4, 1989.

It was just an ordinary day.

In fact, it was so utterly banal, that we go out of our way not to talk about it because there’s absolutely nothing to say.

Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world on 23 Sep 2025 03:47 collapse

Whenever I work with Chinese nationals I like to schedule meetings for that day

Laser@feddit.org on 23 Sep 2025 05:50 collapse

How do you schedule meetings for dates in the past?

Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 23 Sep 2025 06:58 collapse

Skills

psx_crab@lemmy.zip on 23 Sep 2025 04:14 collapse

There is no war in Ba Sing Se.

tal@olio.cafe on 23 Sep 2025 03:39 next collapse

Problematic content specifically targeted includes posts inciting fan group clashes

That what now?

kagis

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/why-china-is-cracking-down-on-its-online-fandom-obsessed-youth/

Fandoms and their capacity for collective action were also one of the largely untold stories of China’s fight against the COVID-19 epidemic in its early stage. In January 2020, as it became clear that an epidemic had emerged in Wuhan and surrounding areas, the government response was far too slow in many key areas, including the provision of protective equipment. By contrast, the networks already formed within fandom culture—the same that allowed mobilization in support of chosen idols—enabled the rapid marshalling of resources. On Jan. 21, 2020, one day after China confirmed human transmission of COVID-19, the fan network of Zhu Yilong, a young actor originally from the city of Wuhan, mobilized funds to purchase more than 200,000 protective masks. These and other supplies were delivered to Wuhan within 24 hours, offering much-needed support for medical personnel and others on the front lines. The aid offered by the Zhu Yilong network is just one of many examples of how online groups provided a crucial means of support amid a rapidly unfolding crisis.

Perhaps more worrying for the CCP has been their potential for mobilization on a global scale. Within 10 days of China’s formal acknowledgement of the coronavirus outbreak in January 2020, a group of 27 fandoms from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan known as the “666 Alliance,” had sourced nearly half a million-yuan worth of medical supplies for use in Wuhan. As one Chinese scholar wrote of fandoms in 2020: “They are a huge population, are well-organized, and have a clear division of labor, giving them an explosive power many would find astonishing.”

Oh, for Pete’s sake.

“Here, have a nice state-approved idol to be a fan of.”

Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 23 Sep 2025 07:00 collapse

kagis

Kiss a girl in school? 🤔

tal@olio.cafe on 23 Sep 2025 19:42 collapse

Searches on Kagi, a la “googles” -> search on Google.

Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 23 Sep 2025 19:46 collapse

Ah ok. I’m more into ducking myself 🤷

ISOmorph@feddit.org on 23 Sep 2025 04:42 next collapse

Coming to you in the US in 2026 and EU in 2027!

[deleted] on 23 Sep 2025 15:17 collapse
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Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 23 Sep 2025 06:55 next collapse

“There is no war in Ba Sing Se”

SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social on 23 Sep 2025 13:07 collapse

You sure? What’s that giant drill outside the walls?

Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 23 Sep 2025 13:24 collapse

Must’ve been the wind 🤷

gnutrino@programming.dev on 23 Sep 2025 08:57 next collapse

So boring conspiracy theories are still allowed?

VitoRobles@lemmy.today on 23 Sep 2025 14:12 collapse

I swear my coffee shop purposely gives smaller than average straws for their takeout drinks because they want you to buy their thermos. #TrueConspiracy

mhague@lemmy.world on 23 Sep 2025 14:02 next collapse

China is when Chinese people do things Americans have been doing.

NSA, Equation Group, black rooms, PRISM, Palantir… that’s bad stuff but it’s sorta in the background. Even the national surveillance startup tracking license plates and soon people… not that interesting.

But Chinese that stuff? It’s the only way you can show many Americans just how fucked these policies / institutions are.

drmoose@lemmy.world on 23 Sep 2025 14:22 next collapse

Nah China is another level entirely. During covid people were litterally locked in their homes and screamed through their windows for hours at a time while drones were flying around telling everyone to shut up. The rest of the world still has a lot of work to do.

dogbert@lemmy.zip on 23 Sep 2025 20:41 collapse

Damn, you believe that shit? LOL

drmoose@lemmy.world on 24 Sep 2025 01:51 next collapse

You need an adult find you a video?

dogbert@lemmy.zip on 24 Sep 2025 02:43 collapse

Yes please. I’ll wait.

drmoose@lemmy.world on 24 Sep 2025 03:10 collapse

literally first google result: www.npr.org/2022/…/shanghai-china-covid-lockdown

Enjoy

nuggie_ss@lemmings.world on 24 Sep 2025 10:06 next collapse

That’s harrowing.

Collective stupidity has to reach unimaginable depths in order for this to ever be deemed acceptable.

BCsven@lemmy.ca on 24 Sep 2025 11:21 collapse

I feel when you raise people in that idealogy they stop being critical thinkers.

dogbert@lemmy.zip on 24 Sep 2025 14:00 collapse

I only accept non-western sources when it comes to China. Sorry if that seems unreasonable.

T00l_shed@lemmy.world on 24 Sep 2025 16:28 collapse

Fucking lol

nuggie_ss@lemmings.world on 24 Sep 2025 10:04 collapse

I do.

China doesn’t allow freedom of speech or freedom of the press, so anything negative about them is true until proven false.

dogbert@lemmy.zip on 24 Sep 2025 14:00 collapse

lmao

nuggie_ss@lemmings.world on 24 Sep 2025 15:04 collapse

Turns out it was true, so hopefully you can learn something here.

I doubt it, though. You seem pretty average to me.

dogbert@lemmy.zip on 24 Sep 2025 17:06 collapse

I don’t even know what you’re trying to say, but you seem hurt.

nuggie_ss@lemmings.world on 25 Sep 2025 02:21 collapse

You need to brush up on your reading comprehension, then.

SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world on 24 Sep 2025 15:45 collapse

What’s your social credit number?

DarkAri@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 23 Sep 2025 15:51 next collapse

Insane how a handful of people can completely enslave the entire human species.

yoyoyopo5@lemmy.world on 24 Sep 2025 15:53 collapse

A small group of people who can agree on something can subjugate a large group that can’t.

DarkAri@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 24 Sep 2025 18:42 collapse

For a little bit but it all comes back on them in the end.

nuggie_ss@lemmings.world on 24 Sep 2025 10:01 collapse

It’s a trend that’s spilling over into the West, too.

Negativity is bad for business, so everyone is being conditioned to be as fake-positive as possible.

geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml on 24 Sep 2025 19:31 collapse

Ask Julian Assagne how much freedom of conspiracies he had enjoyed.