The Fifty Cent Party: Chinese government enlists an army of bloggers

Chinese Censorship and Chinas Online Netizens Social Movements

While China’s government remains largely unaccountable to its people, the rapidly growing adoption of the Internet presents a glimmer of hope. Last year, for instance, China’s netizens successfully shed light on a number of social injustices. The resulting public attention frequently forces the government to back down and right wrongs. But such public cases remain the exception rather than the rule, due to the state’s extensive manipulation of public information—both online and off. The rule remains that the state’s views must dominate if at all possible.

The government’s interference has attracted fierce debates on Internet censorship, particularly following the recent Google incident and the infamous Green Dam project of mandatory filtering software. Such debates, however, tend to overlook the fact that the Chinese propaganda apparatus has evolved far beyond just blocking and filtering the flow of information; today, its sophisticated operations aim to proactively steer online public opinion in its direction.

Chinese cyberspace has become the primary battlefield for shaping public opinion, as the Internet presents the only platform where citizens can debate political issues under the protection of anonymity and within the safety of their own homes. This online public opinion formation, however, is far too important for the state to just remain idle.  Consequently, the government’s propaganda arm shrewdly persuades and enlists netizens to perpetuate its version of the “truth.” These experiences show that, while the Internet can be a tool for advocating reform, it can just as effectively serve as a vehicle for propaganda.

The sophisticated manipulation of Internet deliberation through the use of secret recruits dates back to 2005, when Nanjing University hired select students to post favorable comments to the university’s popular bulletin board system so as to guide public opinion and manufacture support for official policies.

This project proved so successful and appealing that government entities all across China and at every level have followed suit. The large number of enlisted Internet commentators form what is colloquially known as the “Fifty Cent Party” – named after the financial reward received by the Nanjing students for each favorable comment.

Funding and recruitment have grown enormously since. In fact, in the small province of Gansu alone, the government announced plans to expand its army of full-time bloggers by an additional 50 “high ranking” commentators, 100 mid-level, and 500 “regular” commentators to help “guide online opinions.” Given that Gansu accounts for only 2.2% of the country’s population, a count of the Fifty Cent Party’s membership may well reach tens of thousands – some speculate as high as 300,000.

While the Fifty Cent Party operates in secrecy, their aggregate impact is often quite obvious. Take, for instance, a quasi-official poll on the Sina portal from this January, which asked netizens to select the official date for a newly proposed National Tourism Day – a somewhat controversial decision as different provinces lobbied for a date with significance to their landmarks so as to help drive up tourism. The poll received an astounding 4.2 billion votes, amounting to more than ten times China’s netizen population and three times its general population. Perhaps this outcome was the product of genuine enthusiasm among the general public; but most attribute the result to a turf battle among local Fifty Cent Parties hoping to manufacture support for their favored date.

The rapid ascension of the Fifty Cent Party shows that the government recognizes the limits of its censorship efforts as information permeates across Chinese cyberspace.  In response, the leadership has developed highly sophisticated strategies for “guiding” the thoughts of its citizens as they interpret the truth and form opinions online. The government has placed vast resources behind this effort – a waste of tax payer money, to be sure; but priceless to an insecure regime desperately trying to buy time and preserve control.

Published Date: March 17, 2010