Emotional criticism as public engagement: How weibo users discuss “Peking University statues wear face-masks”

Weibo has become a popular venue for political discussions in China. It rekindles the hope to build an online public sphere in (semi)authoritarian regimes. Yet, how does China’s weibo bear characteristics distinct from public sphere? How does emotionality shape weibo discussions? This inquiry draws on emotion framing theory to analyze weibo discussions about air pollution after students from Peking University face-masked statues of prominent intellectuals on their campus to express discontent. Analyses show solo play-of-words, hasty blaming and regional confrontations dominate the discussions. Indignation and sorrowful resignation shape both the form and the content of online discussion. Distinct from the ideal of a public sphere, China’s weibosphere serves mainly as a venue for netizens to ferment and vent emotions and to lodge hasty blame/criticism against authorities or against non-locals. Implications for local theory building and online democracy in China are discussed.