The Impact of Social Media News Consumption on Online Political Expression in China: The Role of Netizens’ Political Orientation

Abstract

ABSTRACT Political ideology and political trust are key factors that affect people’s political expression. With the development of the internet, social media is at the forefront of China’s mainstream ideological dissemination, and social media users are becoming the dominant force in various online public opinion and political expression venues. This study examines whether Chinese netizens’ trust in the government and their political ideology impact the relationship between their social media news consumption and their online political expression. By analyzing data from the 2018 Netizens’ Social Consciousness in China Survey (N = 5,415), we found that social media news consumption is positively associated with people’s online political expression, and Chinese netizens’ trust in government mediates this relationship. Additionally, netizens’ political ideology moderates the relationship between social media news consumption and online political expression. This paper explains the effects of social media news consumption on netizens’ online expression through their political orientation.