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China punishes ‘excessively pessimistic’ social media users
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Official efforts to curb content that profits from despair may be silencing genuine expressions of frustration.
PHOTO: EPA
Lily Kuo
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BEIJING – China’s censors are moving to stamp out more than just political dissent online. Now, they are targeting the public mood itself – punishing bloggers and influencers whose weary posts are resonating widely in a country where optimism is fraying.
The authorities have punished two bloggers who advocated for a life of less work and less pressure; an influencer who said that it made financial sense not to marry and have children; and a commentator known for bluntly observing that China still lags behind Western countries in terms of quality of life.
