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Digital technology and environmental risk communication: a structural analysis of Chinese netizens' participatory behaviour in Japanese nuclear sewage incidentAbstract
Digital technology has reconfigured the communication landscape and governance path of environmental risks, empowering the public to participate, while at the same time bringing about multiple dilemmas such as environmental risk information cocoon, polarization of public perceptions, and data colonialism. In this paper, we take "Japan’s nuclear wastewater discharge", a sudden environmental risk event with cross-border impacts, as the research background, collect relevant data from "Sina Weibo", apply social network analysis methods, and explore the three dimensions of openness of public space, public participation, and rationality of opinions. Using social network analysis, the study examines the structure of Chinese netizens' environmental participation behaviours on the Internet and their public attributes. The analysis finds that: network structure reflects the lack of interactivity and openness in public space; centrality analysis and structural hole analysis show that the public and rational dimensions of public discussion have been gradually dissolved. This paper reveals the two main mechanisms of public discourse production of environmental issues in the digital age - institutional content output and algorithmic traffic logic. When power is combined with algorithmic technology, the space for public discussion of environmental issues is compressed, ecological demands are swallowed up by entertainment traffic, and the discussion of environmental justice is missing. Algorithmic power causes the rational dialogue of environmental issues to be replaced by traffic competition, and the public nature of environmental issues is weakened. It is urgent to intervene in the network structure and make the algorithmic mechanism transparent to reconstruct the foundation of dialogue in the environmental public sphere.
1. Introduction
On 13 April 2021, the Japanese government announced the discharge of nuclear wastewater accumulated since 2011 into the ocean, pushing an environmental crisis event that has lasted for more than a decade to the forefront of global environmental risk management. According to research data, within 57 days from the date of discharge, the radioactivity in the nuclear wastewater would have spread to most of the Pacific Ocean, and in just 10 years all of the world's oceans would have been contaminated by (The Beijing News, 2021a). Tracing back to the roots, Japan's Fukushima nuclear wastewater problem began with a severe leakage of radionuclides from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) in 2011 – the nuclear wastewater consists of reactor cooling water, groundwater entering the unit building, and rainwater. As of April 2021, 1.25 million tons of nuclear wastewater has been stored in the plant and is still increasing at a rate of 140 tons per day (Liu et al., 2021). On 24 August 2023, the Japanese government officially launched the Fukushima Contaminated Water Discharge Initiative after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "endorsed" its report on nuclear wastewater discharge (Chang et al.,2022).
This action has triggered controversy and discussion worldwide. Due to its close geographical location, China is one of the countries most affected by Japan's nuclear wastewater. For Chinese netizens, this was not merely an environmental issue but a convergence of historical trauma, contemporary geopolitical tensions, and visceral fears about food safety in a nation. The Chinese public reacted strongly to this, especially the comments with extreme negative emotions (Pu et al., 2022). By the evening of August 29, 2023, the event had reached a cumulative total of 11.56 million in China and 1.61 million overseas. On August 24th, the number of discussions in China reached 4.82 million, while the number of discussions in overseas regions reached 270,000 in a single day (Meltwater, 2023). In response to the incident, the Chinese public has launched extensive environmental participation actions in the web space, such as public environmental exchanges (reading and reprinting relevant news) and opinion formation and expression (expressing views and emotions).
This strong public reaction precisely shows that environmental issues have typical public attributes - they are not just the business of individuals or individual groups, but a topic of common concern and participation of the whole society. Publicity serves as a crucial mechanism for reconciling diverse interests and mobilizing social resources (Dryzek, 2022). This characteristic proves indispensable for environmental governance, as evidenced by the demonstrated correlation between public participation and improved environmental outcomes (Newig and Fritsch, 2009). With the continuous empowerment of digital technology, cyberspace has become a space of expression with the nature of the "public sphere" (Camp and Chien, 2000). As a new field of environmental governance, its digital information dissemination has reconfigured the public nature of environmental governance.
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As one of the most significant transnational environmental risk issues in the 21st century, the Fukushima nuclear wastewater discharge incident in Japan has triggered multidimensional research in the global academic community. The technology pathway is one of the central research areas of the incident. The Japanese government has claimed that it can effectively treat radioactive substances in nuclear wastewater through the use of an ALPS (Auto-Levelling Plants). However, there is no scientific consensus on the effectiveness of ALPS (Qi et al., 2022). Moreover, it has been shown that volatile radionuclides in nuclear wastewater may enter terrestrial ecosystems and remain there for long periods, and their impacts are difficult to assess effectively (Tanaka et al., 2012). Scientific fields such as oceanography, environmental engineering, and medicine and health have explored the ecological risks and health hazards that may result from nuclear sewage discharge events (Lu et al., 2021). However, why the ALPS technology program was adopted by the government despite the doubtful scientific evidence reveals that nuclear wastewater discharge is not only a technical issue but also a social issue.While research in the natural sciences has been constrained by the shackles of technological determinism, most research in the social sciences on Japan's nuclear wastewater release has focused on the fields of jurisprudence and political science, which are largely saturated with this type of research. From Japan's environmental diplomacy strategy (Zhang et al., 2023), norms of international law (Liu and Hoskin, 2023), the "precautionary" principle of environmental law (Li and Wang, 2023), international environmental obligations and national environmental responsibility (Wang et al., 2022), scholars have discussed the nature of Japan's nuclear sewage discharge behaviour from different perspectives. Other scholars have analysed the equilibrium strategies of the discharging countries and the stakeholder countries from the perspectives of game theory, cumulative prospect theory, and other international political science (Wang et al., 2025). In the field of economics, attention has been paid to the global economic impacts such as trade losses and imbalances brought about by the nuclear wastewater discharge event (Guo et al., 2022) and changes in public consumption levels (Qin and Lu, 2024).
However, environmental risk communication and governance should not be confined to technological or political theories, let alone reduced to theories of economic interests. As an increasingly important public sphere in environmental risk disputes, cyberspace carries the public's risk perception, emotional mobilization and value negotiation, which provides a key entry point for transcending the limitations of the above theories and in-depth investigation of the socio-cultural mechanism of risk communication and the "publicity" of governance. In this paper, we focus our attention on the cyberspace of the global environmental emergency of "Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge", and analyse the structural characteristics of Chinese netizens' behaviours on the Internet in the digital age to explore the mechanisms of environmental risk communication and the public nature of environmental risk governance.
2. Environmental risk communication and Publicity
Environmental sociology focuses on analysing the socially constructed nature of the environmentally problematic event of nuclear wastewater discharges in Japan. From this perspective, the safety and scientific validity claimed by scientists are largely a social construction of knowledge, fraught with uncertainty and ambiguity about inherent environmental risks (Amekawa, 2023). Governments use institutions and international relations to the game (Gao et al., 2023) either in favour of or against seawater discharges, and through the perceptual and discursive strategies of the official media, to shape debates about their 'legality' or 'illegality' (Okuda, 2025; Baek and Jarvis, 2024), and differentiated descriptions and reporting (Chen and Liu, 2024). The constructivist perspective focuses on how environmental events are transmitted between ecosystems and social systems through the social construction of political, scientific, and cultural systems. More microscopic studies in sociology and communication on Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge incident have focused on public opinion evolution and sentiment analysis, such as topics of concern to the Chinese public and public emotions (Pu et al., 2022; Zhang, 2023).
Some other studies have looked at the risk perception and diffusion mechanisms of that environmental event for research. Socio-cultural and discursive expressions significantly influence public risk perception and diffusion. Global environmental risks become localized through China's unique sociocultural filters (Sun et al., 2025). The use of composite imagery patterns helps discourse makers carefully craft micro-narratives of "within-group" and "outside-group" dynamics and influences public perception, legitimizing their claims in the realm of environmental risk (Sun et al.,2024). Metaphors such as war and liar metaphors also construct the understanding of the risk of nuclear wastewater discharge (Li and Chen,2024). Systematic trust and effective risk communication mechanisms are important variables that influence risk perception and risk acceptance (Author, 2016), and uncertainty and transparency in risk communication were significantly associated with the social amplification of risk during the event (Gong et al., 2024). Related studies have demonstrated the necessity of substantial public participation in the whole process of environmental decision-making (Author and Du, 2022), and the importance of "publicness", which has the potential to reconcile multiple interests and promote public participation in the environment, has been highlighted.
Publicity has a rich connotation. For Habermas, publicness arises when people form a public opinion that is close to unanimity in the discussion of universal issues (Habermas, 1991). Generally speaking, publicness can be understood as the public participation of individuals with differences in the public space based on public interests through various forms of public discussion, rational criticism, dialogue, and negotiation, which further form public spirit, public responsibility, and public order, etc. (Guo, 2022). The core attributes of publicness include three dimensions: firstly, the visibility, accessibility, and openness of fields and spaces (Brighenti, 2010); secondly, publicity, i.e., the commonality, diversity, and universality of human beings (Arendt, 1998: 176); and thirdly, reasonableness, i.e., the dimension of rationality (Habermas, 1991). In today's globalization, the concept of publicity presents multiple relationships between human beings and the world (self/other, citizen/society/state, territory/country/globe), and attempts to seek a just resolution of these interactions at all levels. It emphasizes the achievement of a rational coexistence of different subjects while recognizing differences. This requires balancing the public and private spheres: safeguarding freedom in the private sphere and preserving individual subjectivity, while realizing justice in the public sphere and promoting participation and order (Zhang, 2010).
The rise of digital environmental participation is not only a generational shift in the form of environmental participation, but also implies a change in the logic of the operation of the public sphere in the digital era - from the traditional face-to-face dialogue between subjects to a relationship mediated by the protocols and rules of the digital interface (Lan, 2023). For example, the "information cocoon" caused by algorithmic recommendation mechanisms has intensified group polarization (Zhang et al., 2025). By virtue of its openness and instant interactivity, cyberspace has become an important field for the generation, diffusion and evolution of public opinion. However, the algorithmic recommendation mechanism has reconfigured the logic of opinion generation, which may lead to the squeezing of the space for rational negotiation, while the generation of public opinion relies more on the interaction between network nodes, such as retweet chains and community nesting (Guo and Sang, 2025). This shift means that the "public" becomes a relational conception (Starr, 2021) - the path for the formation of public environmental opinions is highly dependent on the location of power nodes on social platforms. Thus, this paper chooses to reveal the structural characteristics of networks as an important entry point for understanding the mechanisms of public opinion formation in environmental events in the digital age.
A "network" is a set of social connections or social relationships that link actors (Baker, 1990). Individual nodes in a social network may be involved in multiple chains of information diffusion, which ultimately build into a peer-to-peer and peer-to-peer multilevel communication cyberspace. The patterning of social ties in which nodes are embedded has important consequences for these nodes (Freeman, 2004). Among them, opinion leaders refer to the influential groups that occupy a central position in social networks (Momtaz et al., 2011). In the process of information dissemination, it often serves as a carrier for receiving and outputting information from others, which directly affects the direction of public opinion.
The networked dissemination of environmental risks presents complex connectivity structures and dynamic interactions in public participation, and it is difficult for traditional statistical methods to capture these implicit relational patterns. Social Network Analysis (SNA) provides methodological possibilities for revealing such multi-subjective and non-linear network structures, and quantitatively analyses the diffusion paths of information, the influence of opinion leaders, and the formation mechanism of opposing camps through relationship mapping, centrality measurement, and community detection techniques. In this paper, we take SNA as the main research method, and at the same time combine it with text content analysis (mainly including user identity and posting direction) to carry out the research. As in the actual public opinion field, a large number of publics behave as isolated nodes in which they only act as receivers of information from opinion leaders. The main formation process of influential public discussion and public opinion exists in the network structure of opinion leaders, which can be studied more efficiently to obtain the characteristics of the opinion field and its direction. Therefore, this paper focuses on analysing the group of influential opinion leaders in the general public who can speak out and conduct public discussions.
Based on the previous paper's summary of the core attributes of publicity, this paper explores publicity from the following three aspects (See Fig. 1): first, assessing the profile of the network structure to judge the openness of the network space; second, identifying the key users and their locations in the network to judge whether the public participation in the network is diversified and universal; and lastly, combining the analyses of the users' identities and posting directions to explore the different influence and rationality of the opinions of the users with different identities and positions in the discussion. Finally, the analysis of user identities and posting directions is used to explore the differentiated influence of users with different identities and positions in the discussion and the rationality of their opinions.
Fig. 1
Diagrammatic representation of the research idea
In summary, this paper focuses on a new type of environmental governance scenario in the digital era, taking "Japan's nuclear sewage discharge" as the research background, tries to explore the structural characteristics of Chinese netizens' environmental participation in the Japanese nuclear sewage discharge incident from the dimension of relational data by applying social network analysis (SNA) methods, and then explore the public nature of environmental risk management.
3. Method
In this paper, the interactive data of "Sina Weibo" on the topic of "Japan's Nuclear Wastewater Discharge" was selected as the data source for this study. Founded in 2009, Sina Weibo (hereinafter referred to as Weibo) is a new generation of open social media platform in China. Weibo's Q3 2024 quarterly report shows that the number of monthly active users of Weibo reached 587 million in September 2024 (Lei, 2024), reaching more than half of China's Internet users. Weibo's large user base and rich information resources enable it to keenly present the public's attention and attitude changes on hot topics, and its user data is representative. The platform's "super topic" function creates real-time emotion contagion – where a shrimp farmer's tearful livestream could trend alongside Foreign Ministry statements. Tens of thousands of related discussions can be obtained by using "nuclear sewage" or "nuclear wastewater" as the search term for the topic selected in this paper, which is rich in content and has research value.
We use Python crawler tools to collect data related to the incident of "Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge" in a microblogging platform. Since the term "nuclear wastewater" has been confused with "nuclear sewage", this paper collects data by using "nuclear wastewater" and "nuclear sewage" as search terms and then combines and removes them according to their unique identifiers, i.e., Weibo post IDs. In this paper, "nuclear wastewater" and "nuclear wastewater" were used as search terms to collect data, which were then merged and de-duplicated according to the unique identifier, i.e., the blog post ID. The data collection period is from 13 April 2021 to 31 January 2025, which covers the whole process of the "Japan Nuclear Wastewater Discharge" incident from the beginning to the start of the project. The data collection and processing process is shown in Fig. 2. Details of the collected data fields are shown in Table 1.
Data categories | Data content | Application |
|---|---|---|
Basic information | Weibo user ID, Nickname | analyze user identity and opinion trends |
Discussion content | Weibo post ID/content, Posting time | |
Interaction Behavior | Number of Reposts/Comments/Likes Following relationship | Evaluate user influence and perform SNA |
Fig. 2
Diagrammatic representation of the data collection and processing process
After data cleaning, 350,995 valid data points were finally obtained for subsequent analyses. From the data overview (see Fig. 3, Fig. 4, and Fig. 5), it can be seen that the event involves a large number of users, but the majority of users' interactions are simple and only exist as a receiver of information. The only group that can speak out and discuss the issue is the influential opinion leader group. Therefore, this paper intends to screen out the more influential users for social network analysis.
Fig. 3
Content volume for different liking intervals
Fig. 4
Content volume for different comment volume bands
Fig. 5
Content volume for different forwarding volume intervals
Microblogging interactive behaviours (number of retweets, comments, and likes) will be used as a core indicator to measure user influence. Drawing on Zhang Yang's (2024) study, this paper constructs the formula for user influence: user influence = number of retweets × 1 + (number of comments + number of likes) × 0.5 (1), where the number of retweets occupies a higher weight because it implies direct dissemination and higher recognition. Based on this criterion, this paper finally selects 146 users with user influence greater than or equal to 20,000 to form the microblog opinion leader database.
4. Results
4.1 Social network structure of public opinion on nuclear wastewater discharge
Using the Python program for visualization, this paper generates a community map of opinion leaders in the cross-border environmental event "Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge" (see Fig. 6). Overall, the social network structure of opinion leaders is characterized by low density and obvious community differentiation. The opinion field is fragmented, with a large number of small groups but a lack of large-scale collaboration, as analysed below.
Fig. 6
visualization of social network relationships of opinion leaders
4.1.1 Network density and network connectivity analysis
Network density is an important indicator of the degree of connectivity between nodes in a network. The data (see Table 2) show that the network density of "Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge" event is only 0.012, and the low-density structure indicates that the network is sparse, and direct interactions between participants are rare. The network connectivity data shows that the network is divided into 18 weakly connected subdivisions, with 97 strongly connected components. Therefore, the social network structure is significantly fragmented into many small groups. However, the very low average clustering coefficient (0.036) suggests that even within these small components, the connections are not tightly knit or clique-like. This structure points to a lack of large-scale, cohesive interaction across the network, with most activity occurring in very small, isolated clusters.
Metric | Value |
|---|---|
Node count | 146 |
Edge count | 253 |
network density | 0.012 |
Average clustering coefficient | 0.036 |
Number of weakly connected components | 18 |
Number of strongly connected components | 97 |
4.1.2 Analysis of online communities
Community is a property of many networks and is usually defined as a subset of nodes in the network. The value of community modularity in community detection is in the range of [− 1/2,1), the higher the value, the more obvious the community structure. The value of community modularity in the event of "Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge" is 0.48, which suggests a relatively clear community structure in the network. The results of community detection are shown in the following table (See Table 3. Supplementary Table S1 for all data). By analyzing the content of posts within the community, we can identify its primary topics of discussion. Among them, the official narrative communities (Community 1 and Community 5) are centred on "People's Daily" and "The Paper". These communities primarily consist of official media, the Communist Youth League, and major newspapers. Their content focuses on China's policy responses (e.g., statements by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and emphasizes the rationality and responsibility of China's stance. In contrast, Community 9 and Community 4 include a mix of commercial news platforms and media accounts. Their content covers international geopolitical news as well as the impact of nuclear wastewater on daily life (e.g., local seafood markets, Japan's tourism recession, and public health). Topics such as "salt grabbing", "personal protection" and "loss of ocean beauty" evoke empathy and reflect anxieties about environmental risks. Community 14 presents a more diverse composition, including both individual self-media accounts (e.g., "BladeScholar_InMyanmar" and "XiaoFan_PhotoLover") and official media (e.g., "Liaoning Communist Youth League"). This mix suggests a potential space for interaction between different voices. A preliminary review of some accounts in this community indicates that content varies widely, with some employing a "geo-conflict" narrative, linking the issue to historical and national grievances, and questioning the actions of the Japanese government and international organizations. However, the presence of official media suggests that this community may not be monolithic in its perspective.
Community ID | Size | Member List |
|---|---|---|
14 | 22 | Sina News, SweetPotatoBear Lao6, TangZhe_Classmate, BioGuy_Aquarium, XiaoFan_PhotoLove, Liaoning Communist Youth League, CasualFilmDiary, China Food Magazine, ZiLong520, TaiwanShenanigans, HistoryGazer, KanKan News KNEWS, BladeScholar_InMyanmar, TechApePlanet, DesertUncle, China News Service, CNS, SkyFungus, JapanWackyDaily, FrogTerminator, SunHuoWang_Here, HuangAn_Official, UFO_Revelations |
4 | 20 | Z_DreamAndPersist_Y, BaoJianFeng, WeiLiXing, EntertainmentWave, Phoenix TV, FaceAndFortune, Cailianpress APP, CCTV Finance, BauhiniaTree, XuTao_Politics, YuanGuoQing, Beijing Daily, EarthLens_A, BeikeFinance, DrXiang_FatExpert, National Business Daily, PassionForLearning Boy, China News Jingwei, EastUnlucky, CNR |
5 | 19 | People's Daily, CCTV News, WangHaiLin, Global Times, Diba Official, Communist Youth League Central, ifeng, CCTV Quick Look, ZhaoSheng_Plain, Jokielicious, NanGuiGuYi, ZhaoShengYe, Bambi_Kid, CCTV Military, Cover News, PatrioticYouth_Liu, Fujian Communist Youth League, WangYou, HuangZhixian_Planet |
1 | 19 | China News, CCTV, CMG Global Info, China Environment, Sina Hotspot, Mammoth News, The Paper, Chengdu Business Daily, CCTV Global Insight, Red Star News, JusticeDuck, Morning News, Boiling Point Video, Global Review, Huashang Daily, LoneCicada, Sichuan Observation, Moonlight_Housha, 23 Mile News |
9 | 18 | Guancha.cn, Headline News, Reference News, Worldly Affairs, Fengwen Community, Pear Video, China Daily, Xinhua News Agency, AntiStupidity_Bot, Vista Magazine, OccamsRazor, Science and Technology Daily, WangHu_Bridge, YouthfulCrush, DeepBlueLove, HatStolen, FengGe_OnTheRun, DragonSlayer_Well |
4.2 Key actors and "power" in the communication of public opinion
In the social network, the "power" of each node also plays a crucial role in the network information dissemination mode. By analysing the roles of nodes in terms of individual attributes through the methods of centrality, core-periphery structure, and structural holes, it is found that: the official media and the head media within the scope of the mainstream narrative are at the core of the high school centrality and occupy the position of structural holes, which are inclined to dispassionate interpretations of the events and statements of state actions. More users are at the periphery, with a high degree of structural constraints, and they mainly mobilize emotionally through intense emotional expression and sensory stimulating content to gain local influence and gather similar users. This is analysed below.
4.2.1 Centrality analysis
Centrality demonstrates whether the node is in a key position in the whole network, implying that the actor has higher influence, discourse power, and convenience in the communication network (Zhang and Luo, 2017). In terms of the centrality indicators (See Table 4. Supplementary Table S2 for all data) and the content of the blog posts, the user "PassionForLearning Boy" occupies a core position in the network with his hand-drawn nuclear pollution imagery "Kanagawa Tritium Surfing" (point-in degree 41), but his point-out degree is 0, indicating that the user only publishes information in one way with no interactive behaviour.
In these core nodes, the official media (including "People's Daily", "CCTV Military", "CCTV", "CGTN Global Info", "Reference News", "Global Times"), which occupy the most central positions in the network, serve as the primary channels for information dissemination. Their structural position is consistent with a potential high level of influence over defining major issues and shaping public discourse. Other central nodes include headline media platforms (e.g., the large commercial media "Red Star News") and self-media (e.g., "Vista Magazine"). Content from these accounts often engaged with controversial themes of international political rivalry. The network structure suggests that these narratives were widely received (high in-degree), and content analysis reveals their stance remains fundamentally aligned with the mainstream narrative. The majority of users occupy peripheral positions, typically characterized by low out-degree (1–3), which indicates more limited direct reach and a lower volume of original posting or sharing activity. Notably, accounts focusing on environmental issues, such as the grassroots accounts such as "Lord Pingyuan Zhao Sheng" (degree centrality 0.03) and official environmental accounts such as "China Environment" (with a degree centrality of 0.014), were structurally marginalized. This suggests that their messages had limited direct reach and were less integrated into the main information flows of this event-specific network.
Serial number | Weibo user ID | In-degree | Out-degree | Degree Centrality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | PassionForLearning Boy | 41 | 0 | 0.283 |
2 | Vista Magazine | 11 | 2 | 0.090 |
3 | Red Star News | 8 | 4 | 0.083 |
4 | People's Daily | 7 | 3 | 0.069 |
5 | CCTV Military | 6 | 4 | 0.069 |
6 | CCTV | 1 | 8 | 0.062 |
7 | CGTN Global Info | 1 | 8 | 0.062 |
8 | ConcreteProof | 8 | 1 | 0.062 |
9 | Reference News | 3 | 5 | 0.055 |
10 | Global Times | 5 | 3 | 0.055 |
4.2.2 Core-edge structure analysis
From the analysis of the core edge structure (See Table 5. Supplementary Table S3 for all data), the core group (core number B = 4) contains 34 nodes. Consistent with the results of the centrality analysis, the core layer is predominantly composed of official media, large commercial media, and influential self-media accounts. These accounts, due to their central structural positions, possess the greatest potential to set the agenda and guide public opinion. Some self-media (e.g. "XiaoFan_PhotoLover") are in the sub-core position. Analysis of their posted content indicates that these accounts focus on historical legacy issues and geopolitical discourse. Edge layer users (e.g. "China Food Magazine", "BioGuy_Aquarium", etc.) are composed of nodes with cores 0 and 1, including most of the self-publishing media. They often have special group identities and focus on specific areas (e.g., food safety under nuclear sewage discharge, mariculture industry). In some of their posts, there exists intense emotions, exaggerated language expression, and sensory-stimulating content such as "visualization of nuclear radiation". But their peripheral structural position indicates that their content had minimal integration with the main information flows of the event.
Weibo user ID | core number | Weibo user ID | core number |
|---|---|---|---|
People's Daily | 4 | …… | …… |
Science and Technology Daily | 4 | Jade Abyss | 3 |
Vista Magazine | 4 | TashiDelek DziBeads | 3 |
ifeng Video | 4 | XiaoFan_PhotoLover | 3 |
The Paper | 4 | Cover News | 3 |
Global Times | 4 | ChargeHorn | 3 |
LoneCicada | 4 | BladeScholar_InMyanmar | 3 |
CCTV | 4 | …… | …… |
Worldly Affairs | 4 | China Food Magazine | 1 |
Reference News | 4 | …… | …… |
4.2.3 Structural hole analysis
A structural hole is a special kind of network structure that refers to a non-redundant relationship that exists between two relational actors (Burt, 1992: 18). The actor occupying the position of the structural hole can determine whether and how information and resources are refracted or flow(See Table 6. Supplementary Table S4 for all data ). Official media, characterized by low structural constraints, are structurally positioned to bridge official and civil discourse. This position would allow them to integrate diverse information. An examination of the content of their posts reveals a tendency toward calm policy explanations and statements regarding the state's response actions. In addition, a small number of self-media users, such as "Concrete Proof", also occupy structural holes, connecting diverse groups within the network. Individual popular science accounts with lower structural holes (e.g., "Jade Abyss") are structurally capable of bridging scientific and public discourses. For example, the post titled "Who's Whitewashing Japan's Nuclear Wastewater Discharge? Data Reveals Suspicious Aspects of Japan's Nuclear Wastewater Treatment". Accounts with high structural constraints (e.g., "BladeScholar_InMyanmar") are located within tightly-knit groups, which are characterized by structural closure rather than brokerage. It is worth noting that accounts readily identifiable as scientific experts not occupy a central position in the high school or a structural hole, and is even absent.
serial number | Weibo user ID | Structural Constraint Index | serial number | Weibo user ID | Structural Constraint Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Red Star News | 0.102 | …… | …… | …… |
2 | Vista Magazine | 0.104 | 119 | Passion for Learning Boy | / |
3 | Concrete Proof | 0.111 | 120 | China Daily | / |
4 | CCTV | 0.121 | 121 | Bio Guy_Aquarium | / |
5 | The Paper | 0.143 | 122 | Living Repeater | / |
6 | CGTN Global Info | 0.143 | 123 | Human Diary | / |
7 | People’s Daily | 0.154 | 124 | Jokielicious | / |
8 | Reference News | 0.157 | 125 | Flower Guardian | / |
9 | CCTV Military | 0.161 | 126 | Liaoning Communist Youth League | / |
10 | Sina Hotspots | 0.166 | 127 | BladeScholar_InMyanmar | / |
5. Discussion
This paper analyses the structure of Chinese netizens' online participation in Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge incident. Our structural findings point to a potential publicity dilemma in environmental risk governance: from the perspective of the structural dimension of the public space, the low density of the opinion network, the strong community segregation and the lack of prominent brokers occupying structural holes suggest limitations in the interactivity and openness of the public sphere. In terms of participation groups, official media occupy dominant central positions, while science communication nodes, environmental nodes, and ordinary opinion leaders are marginalized. This structure raises questions about the inclusiveness and diversity of network participation. Furthermore, the absence of identifiable expert voices in the network’core diminish the rational demension of public discourse.
Based on these structural observations and content reviews of user posts, we propose that two mechanisms shape discourse production in this context:first, institutional discourse defines the nature of nuclear wastewater incidents through high-frequency, authoritative official information output, which builds the underlying framework for communication risk interpretation; second, algorithms distribute content through traffic and user preferences, and the closed loop of homogenized information dissemination exacerbates the polarisation of public opinion and sentiment on this environmental issue.
5.1 Social network structure: lack of cross-group interaction
The analysis of social network structure shows that: firstly, the microblog opinion network about the "Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge" incident shows significant weak connectivity and low density, and the opinion field is fragmented. There are a large number of small closed-loop groups or unidirectional relationships in the network, but there is a lack of large-scale interaction. Secondly, there are obvious community divisions in the network structure. The larger communities include the official narrative community that focuses on national policy statements, the free press community that reports and comments on international geopolitical rumours, the national sentiment and political critique community that links the nuclear sewage incident with historical issues, and the life discussion community that reflects the public's figurative environmental anxieties. There also exist communities that accommodate diverse voices, demonstrating a certain potential for interactive space. Furthermore, the official media occupies a structural holes, potentially bridging official and civil discourse.
The observed loose structure, community segregation, and lack of effective brokers contribute to a lack of cross-group interaction. In addition, the algorithmic distribution of content based on traffic and user preferences likely creates closed loops of homogenized information, which may exacerbates the polarisation of public opinion and sentiment on this environmental issue, subtly reshaping its communication ecology. As a result, the interactivity and openness of this online public space are limited, making it challenging to facilitate a deliberative public discourse that could bridge diverse perspectives.
5.2 Marginalization of environmental justice claims
Through centrality analysis, core-edge structural analysis, structural hole analysis—combined with an examination of user identity and posting direction—this paper identifies key users and reveals the structure and of public online participation in characteristics the Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge incident. First, in terms of participant groups and their positions, official media occupy a dominant position with significant discursive power. By virtue of their central and brokering positions, they are structurally empowered to produce and disseminate institutionalized content. Headline and influential commercial media also occupy central positions. In contrast, popular science nodes, environmental nodes and ordinary opinion leaders are on the periphery and do not occupy structural holes. Experts are notably absent from influential network roles. Second, from the viewpoint of public opinion, the structural dominance of official and commercial media suggests that institutional and geopolitical narratives prevail. The few individual self-media accounts that occupy the central or bridging positions are able to generate significant discussion. Some of its posts generate discussion through visual impact, emotional expression, and geopolitical conflicts.
It is undeniable that marine ecological safety remains a subject of public concern. However, the prevailing network structure and discourse dynamics channel public attention toward international political issues and scientific-technological controversies. Within this communicative environment, ecological demands, particularly those framed around environmental justice, risk being marginalized or overshadowed by more sensational and emotionally charged content. The convergence of collective anxieties—such as "seafood fear" and "national sentiment" —transforms the nuclear wastewater issue into a arena for moralized debate among Chinese netizens. In addition, some commercial media outlets prioritize traffic acquisition by leveraging controversial topics and sensory-charged expressions. This economic logic of attention can potentially reframe public discourse, shifting emphasis from critical deliberation toward consumption of engaging content. Consequently, the conditions necessary for a robust public sphere—openness, egalitarianism, and critical engagement—may be undermined. As a result, ecological demands and narratives of environmental justice struggle to gain traction within the dominant public agenda, which is often dominated by grand geopolitical narratives and waves of emotional catharsis. Localized perceptions of environmental risks find it particularly difficult to break into this mainstream discourse.
6. Conclusions
In the online discussion of environmental emergencies, the structure of Chinese netizens' online participation behaviour shows the following characteristics: low network density, distinct community segregation, and a lack of effective brokers. This structure suggests limitations in the interactivity and openness of the public sphere in this case. Therefore, the rational-deliberative dimension in public discussions has been weakened. Discourse production in environmental risk events is influenced by two mechanisms: the production of official content and the impact of algorithmic distribution. Under the influence of this structure and these mechanisms, the space for public deliberation on environmental issues is significantly constrained. Ecological demands, particularly those framed as issues of environmental justice, risk being marginalized, making a broad public discussion of environmental justice has been difficult to initiate.
There is therefore an urgent need to consider how to establish a more inclusive public discussion space that incorporates environmental justice. Building a public sphere that can accommodate multiple voices, resist systemic domination and technological alienation, and foster rational negotiation emerges as a critical challenge for future risk governance in the digital environment.
This article also has limitations. Our identification of user types (e.g., "official media", "self-media") relies on their official positioning, observable data, and common sense, which may not fully capture the nuanced identities and strategies of all accounts. Regarding the characterisation of "experts", this is constrained by our methodological capacity to precisely identify individual experts (as opposed to institutional scientific voices) within a large-scale user population.
Furthermore, as a structural analysis of an online network, its core data concerns positional attributes rather than the content, strategies, emotional orientation, or tone of the nodes' discourse itself. Presently, this paper incorporates superficial content information in only certain analytical segments, such as the primary posting themes and emotional leanings of specific accounts. More substantial topics warranting exploration—including comparisons of dissemination styles and effects among nodes occupying different positions, alongside the underlying mechanisms of agenda-setting and emotional mobilisation—require further evidence for validation. This could involve employing content analysis, framing analysis, or qualitative methods to examine the authentic texts and narratives disseminated by different groups.
Social network analysis report
A
Table S1. Full text of community testing results.Note
The form includes both English and Chinese versions of Weibo usernames.
Source: The authors’ analysis.
Community ID | Size | Member List | Modularity |
|---|---|---|---|
14 | 22 | 新浪新闻(Sina News)、地瓜熊老六༈SweetPotatoBear Lao6༉、唐哲同学༈TangZhe_Classmate༉、开水族馆的生物男༈BioGuy_Aquarium༉、小凡好摄༈XiaoFan_PhotoLover༉、辽宁共青团༈Liaoning Communist Youth League༉、无心简影༈CasualFilmDiary༉、中国食品杂志༈China Food Magazine༉、zilong520༈ZiLong520༉、台湾傻事༈TaiwanShenanigans༉、史凝眸༈HistoryGazer༉、看看新闻KNEWS༈KanKan News KNEWS༉、提刀探花在缅北༈BladeScholar_InMyanmar༉、科技猩球༈TechApePlanet༉、大漠叔叔༈DesertUncle༉、中国新闻社༈China News Service, CNS༉、天空菌༈SkyFungus༉、日本沙雕日常༈JapanWackyDaily༉、灭蛙༈FrogTerminator༉、我叫孙火旺༈SunHuoWang_Here༉、黄安༈HuangAn_Official༉、UFO启示༈UFO_Revelations༉ | 0.483594563 |
4 | 20 | Z有梦有坚持Y(Z_DreamAndPersist_Y)、保剑锋༈BaoJianFeng༉、卫立行༈WeiLiXing༉、娱乐小浪花er༈EntertainmentWave༉、凤凰卫视༈Phoenix TV༉、面相与命运༈FaceAndFortune༉、财联社APP༈Cailianpress APP༉、央视财经༈CCTV Finance༉、紫荆树༈BauhiniaTree༉、考研政治徐涛༈XuTao_Politics༉、袁国庆༈YuanGuoQing༉、北京日报༈Beijing Daily༉、地球镜头A༈EarthLens_A༉、贝壳财经༈BeikeFinance༉、脂肪医生项力源༈DrXiang_FatExpert༉、每日经济新闻༈National Business Daily༉、一个热爱学习的男孩༈PassionForLearning Boy༉、中新经纬༈China News Jingwei༉、东不辛༈EastUnlucky༉、央广网༈CNR༉ | 0.483594563 |
5 | 19 | 人民日报(People's Daily)、央视新闻༈CCTV News༉、汪海林༈WangHaiLin༉、环球时报༈Global Times༉、帝吧官微༈Diba Official༉、共青团中央༈Communist Youth League Central༉、凤凰网༈ifeng༉、央视网快看༈CCTV Quick Look༉、平原公子赵胜༈ZhaoSheng_Plain༉、Jokielicious༈Jokielicious༉、南归孤夷༈NanGuiGuYi༉、赵盛烨༈ZhaoShengYe༉、小鹿斑比小童鞋༈Bambi_Kid༉、央视军事༈CCTV Military༉、封面新闻༈Cover News༉、爱国青年刘战神༈PatrioticYouth_Liu༉、共青团福建省委༈Fujian Communist Youth League༉、汪有༈WangYou༉、黄智贤星球༈HuangZhixian_Planet༉ | 0.483594563 |
1 | 19 | 中国新闻网(China News)、央视网༈CCTV༉、总台环球资讯༈CMG Global Info༉、中国环境༈China Environment༉、新浪热点༈Sina Hotspots༉、猛犸新闻༈Mammoth News༉、澎湃新闻༈The Paper༉、成都商报༈Chengdu Business Daily༉、CCTV国际时讯༈CCTV Global Insight༉、红星新闻༈Red Star News༉、正义小黄鸭༈JusticeDuck༉、新闻晨报༈Morning News༉、沸点视频༈Boiling Point Video༉、国际锐评༈Global Review༉、华商报༈Huashang Daily༉、孤烟暮蝉༈LoneCicada༉、四川观察༈Sichuan Observation༉、后沙月光本尊༈Moonlight_Housha༉、二三里资讯༈23 Mile News༉ | 0.483594563 |
9 | 18 | 观察者网(Guancha.cn)、头条新闻༈Headline News༉、参考消息༈Reference News༉、世面༈Worldly Affairs༉、风闻社区༈Fengwen Community༉、梨视频༈Pear Video༉、中国日报༈China Daily༉、新华社༈Xinhua News Agency༉、我得了很严重的厌蠢症bot༈AntiStupidity_Bot༉、Vista看天下༈Vista Magazine༉、奥卡姆剃刀༈OccamsRazor༉、科技日报༈Science and Technology Daily༉、王虎的舰桥༈WangHu_Bridge༉、你是年少的欢喜༈YouthfulCrush༉、难舍深蓝༈DeepBlueLove༉、帽子被偷啦༈HatStolen༉、峰哥亡命天涯༈FengGe_OnTheRun༉、屠龙的胭脂井༈DragonSlayer_Well༉ | 0.483594563 |
12 | 12 | 铁海胆(IronSeaUrchin)、新浪财经༈Sina Finance༉、听风知闲༈WindListener༉、李家超༈JohnLeeKaChiu༉、玉渊谭天༈Jade Abyss༉、扎西德勒·天珠收藏༈TashiDelek DziBeads༉、巍岳钦禹༈WeiYueQinYu༉、哎一股清流༈PureStreamer༉、衝鋒号角༈ChargeHorn༉、今日俄罗斯RT༈RT News༉、可爱多赵蜀黍༈UncleZhao_Cute༉、刘大立湖南宝庆人༈LiuDali_Baoqing༉ | 0.483594563 |
7 | 10 | 凤凰网视频(ifeng Video)、中国日报网༈China Daily༉、日本国驻华大使馆༈Embassy of Japan in China༉、盖世英雄玉椒龙༈JadePepperDragon༉、-四分三十三秒-༈4'33''༉、小央视频༈CCTV + Video༉、人民日报海外版-海外网༈People's Daily Overseas Edition༉、凤凰李淼༈LiMiao_ifeng༉、林中白狼༈WhiteWolf_Woods༉、徐记观察༈XuObserver༉ | 0.483594563 |
6 | 6 | 战略安全与军控在线(StrategicSecurity ArmsControl)、来点石锤༈ConcreteProof༉、六度探娱༈SixDegrees_Entertain༉、美味日食记༈DailyFoodie༉、空警世界༈AirAlertWorld༉、林子50217༈LinZi50217༉ | 0.483594563 |
11 | 3 | 人间观察日记(HumanDiary)、芝士吃饱饱༈CheeseMaster༉、记者韩鹏༈Reporter_HanPeng༉ | 0.483594563 |
19 | 2 | 陆战铁骑(ArmoredCavalry)、赵皓阳-Moonfans༈ZhaoHaoyang-Moonfans༉ | 0.483594563 |
15 | 1 | 北冥乘海生(NorthernSea_Rider) | 0.483594563 |
17 | 1 | 婕贵(LadyJie) | 0.483594563 |
13 | 1 | 种花守护神(FlowerGuardian) | 0.483594563 |
10 | 1 | 活体复读机(LivingRepeater) | 0.483594563 |
20 | 1 | 小羊爱吃酱肘子(LambLovesPork) | 0.483594563 |
21 | 1 | 微恋人(TinyRomance) | 0.483594563 |
22 | 1 | 日本傻事(JapanShenanigans) | 0.483594563 |
23 | 1 | 王敬刮痧(WangJing_GuaSha) | 0.483594563 |
24 | 1 | -西野呼啸鹰-(WestFalcon) | 0.483594563 |
0 | 1 | 财入门(WealthGateway) | 0.483594563 |
2 | 1 | 涡轮喷气蛋(TurboJetEgg) | 0.483594563 |
3 | 1 | disse(disse) | 0.483594563 |
8 | 1 | 随笔视频(CasualClip) | 0.483594563 |
16 | 1 | 社会性迷惑(SocialPerplexity) | 0.483594563 |
18 | 1 | 酒巷痴子(WineLane_Dreamer) | 0.483594563 |
Note: The form includes both English and Chinese versions of Weibo usernames.
Source: The authors’ analysis.
Weibo user ID | In- Degree | Out- Degree | Degree Centrality | Closeness Centrality | Page Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
人民日报(People's Daily) | 7 | 3 | 0.068965517 | 0.112884734 | 0.011090141 |
央视新闻(CCTV News) | 2 | 5 | 0.048275862 | 0.07798221 | 0.004357457 |
中国新闻网(China News) | 0 | 2 | 0.013793103 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
新浪新闻(Sina News) | 1 | 4 | 0.034482759 | 0.009195402 | 0.003484498 |
央视网(CCTV) | 1 | 8 | 0.062068966 | 0.066673612 | 0.00316392 |
观察者网(Guancha.cn) | 4 | 3 | 0.048275862 | 0.101935176 | 0.011292057 |
总台环球资讯 (CGTN Global Info) | 1 | 8 | 0.062068966 | 0.086544963 | 0.005814821 |
头条新闻(Headline News) | 2 | 3 | 0.034482759 | 0.091006043 | 0.006160441 |
Z有梦有坚持Y(Z_DreamAndPersist_Y) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
汪海林(WangHaiLin) | 0 | 5 | 0.034482759 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
保剑锋(BaoJianFeng) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
参考消息(Reference News) | 3 | 5 | 0.055172414 | 0.106100796 | 0.015746471 |
世面(Worldly Affairs) | 1 | 4 | 0.034482759 | 0.111459422 | 0.028375308 |
卫立行(WeiLiXing) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
中国环境 (China Environment) | 1 | 1 | 0.013793103 | 0.072397241 | 0.004266909 |
娱乐小浪花er(Entertainment Wave) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
环球时报(Global Times) | 5 | 3 | 0.055172414 | 0.152726405 | 0.030036554 |
帝吧官微(Diba Official) | 2 | 5 | 0.048275862 | 0.077434967 | 0.004430023 |
凤凰卫视(Phoenix TV) | 1 | 1 | 0.013793103 | 0.126160707 | 0.008464826 |
面相与命运(FaceAndFortune) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
财联社APP (Cailianpress APP) | 0 | 3 | 0.020689655 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
央视财经(CCTV Finance) | 5 | 3 | 0.055172414 | 0.155252606 | 0.021048305 |
新浪热点(Sina Hotspots) | 4 | 3 | 0.048275862 | 0.101935176 | 0.011694656 |
紫荆树(BauhiniaTree) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
考研政治徐涛(XuTao_Politics) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
袁国庆(YuanGuoQing) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
北京日报(Beijing Daily) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
共青团中央(Communist Youth League Central) | 3 | 4 | 0.048275862 | 0.112310257 | 0.008835566 |
凤凰网(ifeng) | 2 | 2 | 0.027586207 | 0.073932883 | 0.004521764 |
地球镜头A(EarthLens_A) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
地瓜熊老六(SweetPotatoBear Lao6) | 2 | 3 | 0.034482759 | 0.015763547 | 0.003950357 |
凤凰网视频(ifeng Video) | 3 | 3 | 0.04137931 | 0.109523402 | 0.009700015 |
贝壳财经(BeikeFinance) | 1 | 1 | 0.013793103 | 0.006896552 | 0.003209835 |
风闻社区(Fengwen Community) | 1 | 1 | 0.013793103 | 0.088031665 | 0.005698936 |
脂肪医生项力源(DrXiang _FatExpert) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
猛犸新闻(Mammoth News) | 1 | 1 | 0.013793103 | 0.064273119 | 0.003418916 |
每日经济新闻(National Business Daily) | 4 | 2 | 0.04137931 | 0.10676482 | 0.011122622 |
一个热爱学习的男孩(PassionForLearning Boy) | 41 | 0 | 0.282758621 | 0.317950116 | 0.107363734 |
中新经纬(China News Jingwei) | 0 | 2 | 0.013793103 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
唐哲同学(TangZhe_Classmate) | 0 | 2 | 0.013793103 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
梨视频(Pear Video) | 2 | 1 | 0.020689655 | 0.015517241 | 0.004193199 |
东不辛(EastUnlucky) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
中国日报网(China Daily) | 5 | 0 | 0.034482759 | 0.131519105 | 0.017955382 |
日本国驻华大使馆(Embassy of Japan in China) | 1 | 2 | 0.020689655 | 0.006896552 | 0.003564185 |
盖世英雄玉椒龙(JadePepperDragon) | 1 | 1 | 0.013793103 | 0.076047522 | 0.00501138 |
央视网快看 (CCTV Quick Look) | 3 | 3 | 0.04137931 | 0.089167537 | 0.005050466 |
澎湃新闻(The Paper) | 3 | 4 | 0.048275862 | 0.070847401 | 0.004318864 |
平原公子赵胜(Lord Pingyuan Zhao Sheng) | 3 | 2 | 0.034482759 | 0.091194072 | 0.016952663 |
开水族馆的生物男(BioGuy_Aquarium) | 1 | 0 | 0.006896552 | 0.07695285 | 0.005214564 |
小凡好摄(XiaoFan_PhotoLover) | 3 | 1 | 0.027586207 | 0.101002131 | 0.012077754 |
中国日报(China Daily) | 4 | 1 | 0.034482759 | 0.073027423 | 0.005350095 |
活体复读机(LivingRepeater) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
人间观察日记(HumanDiary) | 1 | 0 | 0.006896552 | 0.009195402 | 0.00643459 |
成都商报(Chengdu Business Daily) | 1 | 2 | 0.020689655 | 0.085044183 | 0.005583854 |
CCTV国际时讯(CCTV Global Insight) | 2 | 2 | 0.027586207 | 0.100086011 | 0.007253674 |
铁海胆(IronSeaUrchin) | 1 | 1 | 0.013793103 | 0.006896552 | 0.003564185 |
新浪财经(Sina Finance) | 0 | 2 | 0.013793103 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
-四分三十三秒-(4'33'') | 1 | 2 | 0.020689655 | 0.09616107 | 0.00451318 |
小央视频(CCTV + Video) | 3 | 4 | 0.048275862 | 0.114643977 | 0.009470957 |
央广网(CNR) | 1 | 1 | 0.013793103 | 0.006896552 | 0.003564185 |
Jokielicious(Jokielicious) | 3 | 0 | 0.020689655 | 0.103780449 | 0.008006832 |
南归孤夷(NanGuiGuYi) | 1 | 3 | 0.027586207 | 0.006896552 | 0.004627237 |
红星新闻(Red Star News) | 8 | 4 | 0.082758621 | 0.119614989 | 0.016195684 |
种花守护神(FlowerGuardian) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
辽宁共青团(Liaoning Communist Youth League) | 4 | 0 | 0.027586207 | 0.060988889 | 0.009730844 |
无心简影(CasualFilmDiary) | 1 | 3 | 0.027586207 | 0.006896552 | 0.004627237 |
中国食品杂志(China Food Magazine) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
zilong520(ZiLong520) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
台湾傻事(TaiwanShenanigans) | 1 | 4 | 0.034482759 | 0.0621661 | 0.007841787 |
新华社(Xinhua News Agency) | 3 | 1 | 0.027586207 | 0.093910492 | 0.00798806 |
我得了很严重的厌蠢症bot(AntiStupidity_Bot) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
史凝眸(HistoryGazer) | 2 | 2 | 0.027586207 | 0.076495548 | 0.006393884 |
看看新闻KNEWS(KanKan News KNEWS) | 2 | 2 | 0.027586207 | 0.085538626 | 0.006656817 |
提刀探花在缅北(BladeScholar_InMyanmar) | 5 | 0 | 0.034482759 | 0.097939991 | 0.008602927 |
正义小黄鸭(JusticeDuck) | 1 | 0 | 0.006896552 | 0.128535497 | 0.011836288 |
新闻晨报(Morning News) | 5 | 2 | 0.048275862 | 0.158949097 | 0.021955571 |
科技猩球(TechApePlanet) | 2 | 2 | 0.027586207 | 0.07798221 | 0.007340667 |
大漠叔叔(DesertUncle) | 1 | 4 | 0.034482759 | 0.087057063 | 0.012767353 |
中国新闻社(China News Service) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
赵盛烨(ZhaoShengYe) | 2 | 0 | 0.013793103 | 0.080945037 | 0.010131843 |
小鹿斑比小童鞋(Bambi_Kid) | 0 | 5 | 0.034482759 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
北冥乘海生(NorthernSea_Rider) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
听风知闲(WindListener) | 1 | 1 | 0.013793103 | 0.006896552 | 0.004627237 |
李家超(JohnLeeKaChiu) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
婕贵(LadyJie) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
玉渊谭天(Jade Abyss) | 2 | 3 | 0.034482759 | 0.09292196 | 0.00910308 |
扎西德勒·天珠收藏(TashiDelek DziBeads) | 2 | 1 | 0.020689655 | 0.069290316 | 0.004758888 |
央视军事(CCTV Military) | 6 | 4 | 0.068965517 | 0.108714116 | 0.012031396 |
沸点视频(Boiling Point Video) | 2 | 2 | 0.027586207 | 0.081135903 | 0.004154659 |
酒巷痴子(WineLane_Dreamer) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
巍岳钦禹(WeiYueQinYu) | 3 | 0 | 0.020689655 | 0.089948371 | 0.012475683 |
哎一股清流(PureStreamer) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
封面新闻(Cover News) | 3 | 1 | 0.027586207 | 0.105967859 | 0.008098242 |
衝鋒号角(ChargeHorn) | 1 | 2 | 0.020689655 | 0.072714878 | 0.003752916 |
天空菌(SkyFungus) | 1 | 3 | 0.027586207 | 0.082810377 | 0.004419173 |
爱国青年刘战神(PatrioticYouth_Liu) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
Vista看天下(Vista Magazine) | 11 | 2 | 0.089655172 | 0.148113863 | 0.037794919 |
国际锐评(Global Review) | 1 | 1 | 0.013793103 | 0.08570472 | 0.005583854 |
人民日报海外版-海外网(People's Daily Overseas Edition) | 4 | 3 | 0.048275862 | 0.132149494 | 0.016313119 |
华商报(Huashang Daily) | 1 | 3 | 0.027586207 | 0.060133421 | 0.002837319 |
奥卡姆剃刀(OccamsRazor) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
战略安全与军控在线(StrategicSecurity ArmsControl) | 1 | 1 | 0.013793103 | 0.006896552 | 0.003564185 |
小羊爱吃酱肘子(LambLovesPork) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
微恋人(TinyRomance) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
日本傻事(JapanShenanigans) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
科技日报(Science and Technology Daily) | 5 | 1 | 0.04137931 | 0.13836342 | 0.030448819 |
孤烟暮蝉(LoneCicada) | 1 | 4 | 0.034482759 | 0.075320701 | 0.003118871 |
今日俄罗斯RT(RT News) | 2 | 1 | 0.020689655 | 0.091194072 | 0.009899381 |
王虎的舰桥(WangHu_Bridge) | 0 | 2 | 0.013793103 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
王敬刮痧(WangJing_GuaSha) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
-西野呼啸鹰-(WestFalcon) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
日本沙雕日常(JapanWackyDaily) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
财入门(WealthGateway) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
涡轮喷气蛋(TurboJetEgg) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
灭蛙(FrogTerminator) | 2 | 1 | 0.020689655 | 0.068965517 | 0.006280983 |
我叫孙火旺(SunHuoWang_Here) | 2 | 0 | 0.013793103 | 0.07734748 | 0.005923265 |
黄安(HuangAn_Official) | 0 | 3 | 0.020689655 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
四川观察(Sichuan Observation) | 1 | 1 | 0.013793103 | 0.006896552 | 0.004627237 |
后沙月光本尊(Moonlight_Housha) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
凤凰李淼(LiMiao_ifeng) | 0 | 2 | 0.013793103 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
你是年少的欢喜(YouthfulCrush) | 1 | 4 | 0.034482759 | 0.006896552 | 0.004627237 |
难舍深蓝(DeepBlueLove) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
disse(disse) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
随笔视频(CasualClip) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
社会性迷惑(SocialPerplexity) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
芝士吃饱饱(CheeseMaster) | 1 | 1 | 0.013793103 | 0.006896552 | 0.004627237 |
记者韩鹏(Reporter_HanPeng) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
可爱多赵蜀黍(UncleZhao_Cute) | 4 | 2 | 0.04137931 | 0.096793708 | 0.011336804 |
刘大立湖南宝庆人(LiuDali_Baoqing) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
林中白狼(WhiteWolf_Woods) | 0 | 2 | 0.013793103 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
共青团福建省委(Fujian Communist Youth League) | 2 | 3 | 0.034482759 | 0.105090312 | 0.006045116 |
来点石锤(ConcreteProof) | 8 | 1 | 0.062068966 | 0.093512566 | 0.015614632 |
帽子被偷啦(HatStolen) | 0 | 2 | 0.013793103 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
二三里资讯(23 Mile News) | 1 | 4 | 0.034482759 | 0.074181397 | 0.004874096 |
徐记观察(XuObserver) | 3 | 2 | 0.034482759 | 0.085871461 | 0.005907445 |
六度探娱(SixDegrees_Entertain) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
美味日食记(DailyFoodie) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
UFO启示(UFO_Revelations) | 0 | 2 | 0.013793103 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
空警世界(AirAlertWorld) | 0 | 2 | 0.013793103 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
林子50217(LinZi50217) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
峰哥亡命天涯(FengGe_OnTheRun) | 1 | 0 | 0.006896552 | 0.006896552 | 0.003209835 |
屠龙的胭脂井(DragonSlayer_Well) | 0 | 3 | 0.020689655 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
陆战铁骑(ArmoredCavalry) | 1 | 0 | 0.006896552 | 0.006896552 | 0.004627237 |
赵皓阳-Moonfans(ZhaoHaoyang-Moonfans) | 0 | 1 | 0.006896552 | 0 | 0.002501134 |
汪有(WangYou) | 1 | 0 | 0.006896552 | 0.07369426 | 0.004096544 |
黄智贤星球(HuangZhixian_Planet) | 3 | 3 | 0.04137931 | 0.082810377 | 0.005629344 |
Note: The form includes both English and Chinese versions of Weibo usernames.
Source: The authors’ analysis.
Weibo user ID | core number | Weibo user ID | core number |
|---|---|---|---|
人民日报(People's Daily) | 4 | 唐哲同学(TangZhe_Classmate) | 2 |
科技日报(Science and Technology Daily) | 4 | 央广网(CNR) | 2 |
央视新闻(CCTV News) | 4 | 中新经纬(China News Jingwei) | 2 |
小鹿斑比小童鞋(Bambi_Kid) | 4 | 史凝眸(HistoryGazer) | 2 |
共青团中央(Communist Youth League Central) | 4 | 日本国驻华大使馆(Embassy of Japan in China) | 2 |
每日经济新闻 (National Business Daily) | 4 | 猛犸新闻(Mammoth News) | 2 |
央视军事(CCTV Military) | 4 | 新浪财经(Sina Finance) | 2 |
一个热爱学习的男孩(PassionForLearning Boy) | 4 | 铁海胆(IronSeaUrchin) | 2 |
新浪热点(Sina Hotspots) | 4 | 盖世英雄玉椒龙(JadePepperDragon) | 2 |
央视财经(CCTV Finance) | 4 | 辽宁共青团(Liaoning Communist Youth League) | 2 |
红星新闻(Red Star News) | 4 | 风闻社区(Fengwen Community) | 2 |
Vista看天下(Vista Magazine) | 4 | 成都商报 (Chengdu Business Daily) | 2 |
人民日报海外版-海外网(People's Daily Overseas Edition) | 4 | 赵皓阳-Moonfans(ZhaoHaoyang-Moonfans) | 1 |
新闻晨报(Morning News) | 4 | 汪有(WangYou) | 1 |
环球时报(Global Times) | 4 | 四川观察(Sichuan Observation) | 1 |
凤凰网视频(ifeng Video) | 4 | 后沙月光本尊(Moonlight_Housha) | 1 |
央视网(CCTV) | 4 | 东不辛(EastUnlucky) | 1 |
世面(Worldly Affairs) | 4 | 保剑锋(BaoJianFeng) | 1 |
参考消息(Reference News) | 4 | 难舍深蓝(DeepBlueLove) | 1 |
澎湃新闻(The Paper) | 4 | 芝士吃饱饱(CheeseMaster) | 1 |
央视网快看(CCTV Quick Look) | 4 | 六度探娱(SixDegrees_Entertain) | 1 |
小央视频(CCTV + Video) | 4 | 美味日食记(DailyFoodie) | 1 |
孤烟暮蝉(LoneCicada) | 4 | 陆战铁骑(ArmoredCavalry) | 1 |
头条新闻(Headline News) | 4 | 峰哥亡命天涯(FengGe_OnTheRun) | 1 |
总台环球资讯 (CGTN Global Info) | 4 | 刘大立湖南宝庆人(LiuDali_Baoqing) | 1 |
观察者网(Guancha.cn) | 4 | 林子50217(LinZi50217) | 1 |
看看新闻KNEWS (KanKan News KNEWS) | 3 | 人间观察日记(HumanDiary) | 1 |
南归孤夷(NanGuiGuYi) | 3 | 中国新闻社(China News Service) | 1 |
-四分三十三秒-(4'33'') | 3 | Z有梦有坚持Y(Z_DreamAndPersist_Y) | 1 |
台湾傻事(TaiwanShenanigans) | 3 | 记者韩鹏(Reporter_HanPeng) | 1 |
Jokielicious(Jokielicious) | 3 | 日本沙雕日常(JapanWackyDaily) | 1 |
新华社(Xinhua News Agency) | 3 | 娱乐小浪花er(EntertainmentWave) | 1 |
沸点视频(Boiling Point Video) | 3 | 爱国青年刘战神(PatrioticYouth_Liu) | 1 |
科技猩球(TechApePlanet) | 3 | 地球镜头A(EarthLens_A) | 1 |
大漠叔叔(DesertUncle) | 3 | 听风知闲(WindListener) | 1 |
玉渊谭天(Jade Abyss) | 3 | 李家超(JohnLeeKaChiu) | 1 |
扎西德勒·天珠收藏 (TashiDelek DziBeads) | 3 | 正义小黄鸭(JusticeDuck) | 1 |
小凡好摄(XiaoFan_PhotoLover) | 3 | 北京日报(Beijing Daily) | 1 |
封面新闻(Cover News) | 3 | 袁国庆(YuanGuoQing) | 1 |
衝鋒号角(ChargeHorn) | 3 | 考研政治徐涛(XuTao_Politics) | 1 |
天空菌(SkyFungus) | 3 | 脂肪医生项力源(DrXiang_FatExpert) | 1 |
华商报(Huashang Daily) | 3 | 哎一股清流(PureStreamer) | 1 |
你是年少的欢喜(YouthfulCrush) | 3 | 紫荆树(BauhiniaTree) | 1 |
共青团福建省委(Fujian Communist Youth League) | 3 | 面相与命运(FaceAndFortune) | 1 |
来点石锤(ConcreteProof) | 3 | 我得了很严重的厌蠢症bot(AntiStupidity_Bot) | 1 |
二三里资讯(23 Mile News) | 3 | 开水族馆的生物男(BioGuy_Aquarium) | 1 |
徐记观察(XuObserver) | 3 | 奥卡姆剃刀(OccamsRazor) | 1 |
中国日报(China Daily) | 3 | 卫立行(WeiLiXing) | 1 |
提刀探花在缅北(BladeScholar_InMyanmar) | 3 | 中国食品杂志 (China Food Magazine) | 1 |
黄智贤星球(HuangZhixian_Planet) | 3 | zilong520(ZiLong520) | 1 |
凤凰网(ifeng) | 3 | 赵盛烨(ZhaoShengYe) | 2 |
新浪新闻(Sina News) | 3 | 国际锐评(Global Review) | 2 |
平原公子赵胜 (Lord Pingyuan Zhao Sheng) | 3 | 贝壳财经(BeikeFinance) | 2 |
汪海林(WangHaiLin) | 3 | CCTV国际时讯 (CCTV Global Insight) | 2 |
帝吧官微(Diba Official) | 3 | 梨视频(Pear Video) | 2 |
中国日报网(China Daily) | 3 | 无心简影(CasualFilmDiary) | 2 |
地瓜熊老六(SweetPotatoBear Lao6) | 3 | 北冥乘海生(NorthernSea_Rider) | 0 |
王虎的舰桥(WangHu_Bridge) | 2 | -西野呼啸鹰-(WestFalcon) | 0 |
巍岳钦禹(WeiYueQinYu) | 2 | 财入门(WealthGateway) | 0 |
财联社APP(Cailianpress APP) | 2 | 随笔视频(CasualClip) | 0 |
凤凰卫视(Phoenix TV) | 2 | disse(disse) | 0 |
战略安全与军控在线(StrategicSecurity ArmsControl) | 2 | 微恋人(TinyRomance) | 0 |
中国环境(China Environment) | 2 | 酒巷痴子(WineLane_Dreamer) | 0 |
今日俄罗斯RT(RT News) | 2 | 日本傻事(JapanShenanigans) | 0 |
黄安(HuangAn_Official) | 2 | 小羊爱吃酱肘子(LambLovesPork) | 0 |
灭蛙(FrogTerminator) | 2 | 社会性迷惑(SocialPerplexity) | 0 |
我叫孙火旺(SunHuoWang_Here) | 2 | 涡轮喷气蛋(TurboJetEgg) | 0 |
凤凰李淼(LiMiao_ifeng) | 2 | 婕贵(LadyJie) | 0 |
可爱多赵蜀黍(UncleZhao_Cute) | 2 | 王敬刮痧(WangJing_GuaSha) | 0 |
林中白狼(WhiteWolf_Woods) | 2 | 活体复读机(LivingRepeater) | 0 |
帽子被偷啦(HatStolen) | 2 | 种花守护神(FlowerGuardian) | 0 |
中国新闻网(China News) | 2 | 空警世界(AirAlertWorld) | 2 |
UFO启示(UFO_Revelations) | 2 | 屠龙的胭脂井(DragonSlayer_Well) | 2 |
Note: The form includes both English and Chinese versions of Weibo usernames.
Source: The authors’ analysis.
Weibo user ID | Structural Constraint Index | Weibo user ID | Structural Constraint Index |
|---|---|---|---|
红星新闻(Red Star News) | 0.102426838 | 日本国驻华大使馆(Embassy of Japan in China) | 0.512345679 |
Vista看天下(Vista Magazine) | 0.104028507 | 财联社APP(Cailianpress APP) | 0.526597305 |
来点石锤(ConcreteProof) | 0.111111111 | 凤凰卫视(Phoenix TV) | 0.578750093 |
央视网(CCTV) | 0.121155597 | 风闻社区(Fengwen Community) | 0.588874455 |
澎湃新闻(The Paper) | 0.142857143 | 贝壳财经(BeikeFinance) | 0.706788287 |
总台环球资讯(CGTN Global Info) | 0.143385943 | 凤凰李淼(LiMiao_ifeng) | 0.784722222 |
人民日报(People’s Daily) | 0.153567965 | 难舍深蓝(DeepBlueLove) | 1 |
参考消息(Reference News) | 0.15731963 | 六度探(SixDegrees_Entertain) | 1 |
央视军事(CCTV Military) | 0.160887402 | 后沙月光本尊(Moonlight_Housha) | 1 |
新浪热点(Sina Hotspots) | 0.166198181 | 记者韩鹏(Reporter_HanPeng) | 1 |
可爱多赵蜀黍(UncleZhao_Cute) | 0.166666667 | 林子50217(LinZi50217) | 1 |
科技日报 (Science and Technology Daily) | 0.166666667 | 美味日食记(DailyFoodie) | 1 |
黄智贤星球(HuangZhixian_Planet) | 0.166666667 | 卫立行(WeiLiXing) | 1 |
帝吧官微(Diba Official) | 0.176004511 | 奥卡姆剃刀(OccamsRazor) | 1 |
央视网快看(CCTV Quick Look) | 0.179015775 | 袁国庆(YuanGuQing) | 1 |
央视新闻(CCTV News) | 0.17966993 | 面相与命运(FaceAndFortune) | 1 |
观察者网(Guancha.cn) | 0.183443893 | 保剑锋(BaoJianFeng) | 1 |
小央视频(CCTV + Video) | 0.183673469 | 紫荆树(BauhiniaTree) | 1 |
新闻晨报(Morning News) | 0.183673469 | 考研政治徐涛(XuTao_Politics) | 1 |
每日经济新闻 (National Business Daily) | 0.194465266 | 娱乐小浪花er(EntertainmentWave) | 1 |
中国日报(China Daily) | 0.2 | 北京日报(Beijing Daily) | 1 |
台湾傻事(TaiwanShenanigans) | 0.2 | 地球镜头A(EarthLens_A) | 1 |
徐记观察(XuObserver) | 0.2 | 日本沙雕日常(JapanWackyDaily) | 1 |
大漠叔叔(DesertUncle) | 0.2 | 脂肪医生项力源(DrXiang_FatExpert) | 1 |
二三里资讯(23 Mile News) | 0.2 | Z有梦有坚持Y(Z_DreamAndPersist_Y) | 1 |
平原公子赵胜 (Lord Pingyuan Zhao Sheng) | 0.2 | 赵皓阳-Moonfans(ZhaoHaoyang-Moonfans) | 1 |
孤烟暮蝉(LoneCicada) | 0.2 | zilong520(ZiLong520) | 1 |
环球时报(Global Times) | 0.200201822 | 我得了很严重的厌蠢症bot(AntiStupidity_Bot) | 1 |
央视财经(CCTV Finance) | 0.205439471 | 中国新闻社 (China News Service) | 1 |
头条新闻(Headline News) | 0.212600015 | 李家超(JohnLeeKaChiu) | 1 |
地瓜熊老六 (SweetPotatoBear Lao6) | 0.219575015 | 哎一股清流(PureStreamer) | 1 |
共青团中央(Communist Youth League Central) | 0.222586151 | 爱国青年刘战神(PatrioticYouth_Liu) | 1 |
人民日报海外版-海外网(People’s Daily Overseas Edition) | 0.225053545 | 中国食品杂志 (China Food Magazine) | 1 |
你是年少的欢喜(YouthfulCrush) | 0.226 | 东不辛(EastUnlucky) | 1 |
汪海林(WangHaiLin) | 0.23685003 | 刘大立湖南宝庆人(LiuDali_Baoqing) | 1 |
小鹿斑比小童鞋(Bambi_Kid) | 0.241098469 | 中国日报网(China Daily) | |
世面(Worldly Affairs) | 0.243527085 | 开水族馆的生物男(BioGuy_Aquarium) | |
共青团福建省委(Fujian Communist Youth League) | 0.243722449 | 一个热爱学习的男孩(PassionForLearning Boy) | |
凤凰网视频(ifeng Video) | 0.245810038 | 活体复读机(LivingRepeater) | |
科技猩球(TechApePlanet) | 0.25 | 人间观察日记(HumanDiary) | |
史凝眸(HistoryGazer) | 0.25 | Jokielicious(Jokielicious) | |
无心简影(CasualFilmDiary) | 0.25 | 种花守护神(FlowerGuardian) | |
华商报 (Huashang Daily) | 0.25 | 辽宁共青团(Liaoning Communist Youth League) | |
小凡好摄(XiaoFan_PhotoLover) | 0.25 | 提刀探花在缅北(BladeScholar_InMyanmar) | |
天空菌(SkyFungus) | 0.25 | 正义小黄鸭(JusticeDuck) | |
新华社(Xinhua News Agency) | 0.25 | 赵盛烨(ZhaoShengYe) | |
看看新闻KNEWS (KanKan News KNEWS) | 0.25 | 北冥乘海生(NorthernSea_Rider) | |
新浪新闻(Sina News) | 0.257940274 | 婕贵(LadyJie) | |
沸点视频(Boiling Point Video) | 0.275511188 | 酒巷痴子(WineLane_Dreamer) | |
玉渊谭天(Jade Abyss) | 0.28 | 巍岳钦禹(WeiYueQinYu) | |
凤凰网(ifeng) | 0.280585961 | 小羊爱吃酱肘子(LambLovesPork) | |
封面新闻(Cover News) | 0.282257653 | 微恋人(TinyRomance) | |
CCTV国际时讯 (CCTV Global Insight) | 0.309461806 | 日本傻事(JapanShenanigans) | |
南归孤夷(NanGuiGuYi) | 0.317743764 | 王敬刮痧(WangJing_GuaSha) | |
今日俄罗斯RT(RT News) | 0.333333333 | -西野呼啸鹰-(WestFalcon) | |
-四分三十三秒-(4'33'') | 0.333333333 | 财入门(WealthGateway) | |
梨视频(Pear Video) | 0.333333333 | 涡轮喷气蛋(TurboJetEgg) | |
扎西德勒·天珠收藏 (TashiDelek DziBeads) | 0.333333333 | 我叫孙火旺(SunHuoWang_Here) | |
灭蛙(FrogTerminator) | 0.333333333 | disse(disse) | |
屠龙的胭脂井(DragonSlayer_Well) | 0.333333333 | 随笔视频(CasualClip) | |
黄安(HuangAn_Official) | 0.333333333 | 社会性迷惑(SocialPerplexity) | |
衝鋒号角(ChargeHorn) | 0.333333333 | 峰哥亡命天涯(FengGe_OnTheRun) | |
成都商报 (Chengdu Business Daily) | 0.415123457 | 陆战铁骑(ArmoredCavalry) | |
UFO启示(UFO_Revelations) | 0.5 | 汪有(WangYou) | |
听风知闲(WindListener) | 0.5 | 盖世英雄玉椒龙(JadePepperDragon) | 0.5 |
国际锐评(Global Review) | 0.5 | 唐哲同学(TangZhe_Classmate) | 0.5 |
战略安全与军控在线(StrategicSecurity ArmsControl) | 0.5 | 林中白狼 (WhiteWolf_Woods) | 0.5 |
中国环境(China Environment) | 0.5 | 帽子被偷啦(HatStolen) | 0.5 |
王虎的舰桥(WangHu_Bridge) | 0.5 | 中国新闻网(China News) | 0.5 |
空警世界(AirAlertWorld) | 0.5 | 中新经纬(China News Jingwei) | 0.5 |
芝士吃饱饱(CheeseMaster) | 0.5 | 猛犸新闻(Mammoth News) | 0.5 |
四川观察(Sichuan Observation) | 0.5 | 新浪财经(Sina Finance) | 0.5 |
铁海胆(IronSeaUrchin) | 0.5 | 央广网(CNR) | 0.5 |
A
Data Availability
The author confirms that all data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article. Furthermore, primary and secondary sources and data supporting the findings of this study were all publicly available at the time of submission. The code has been attached to the supplementary information.
Electronic Supplementary Material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material
A
Author Contribution
Xin Chen: Data collection and analysis, method development, original draft writing.Mengyao Li: Conceptualization, theory development, proofreading.Wenjuan Gong(Primary corresponding author): Conceived the research framework, discussion and writing on the initial draft, proofreading, communication among co-authors.Yuanchun Peng(corresponding author): Proofreading, funding acquisition.All authors reviewed the manuscript.
References
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Funding
This research is supported by the 2024 Theme Case Project of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China: Green Development "Collaborative Governance of Rural Ecological Environment and Green Social Development - A Case Study Based on Green Rural Construction in Fujian Province and Zhejiang Province" (ZT-2410384006), the project of National Social Science Fund of China “Research on the Cultivation Mechanism and Path of Environmental Literacy Among the Chinese Public”, the State Scholarship Fund from China Scholarship Council(No.202306310215) and Melbourne Research Scholarship offered by the University of Melbourne.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Ethical approval
Ethical approval was not required. The research data is publicly accessible and anonymous, sourced from public data. It does not contain identifiable information.
Informed consent
This paper collects user-initiated public content from the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo, explicitly excluding private information such as phone numbers. The information presented in this article only relates to some of the user nicknames; user IDs and URLs are not shown to avoid the risk of re-identification. All data collected herein is for academic research purposes only and will not be used for any commercial purposes.