Page 245 - Feasibility Study of New Media Technology on Constructing Online Public Sphere

Chapter 7. The Yihuang incident

7.5.5.2 The bandwagon effect and the group polarisation effect

Tai (2006) found that the internet has transformed the realm of public opinion in
Chinese society in at least three ways. Firstly, it has generated a new communication
platform on which the speed of information flow is determined by ‘aggregation of indi-

vidual behaviours on the network or in the community’ (Zhang and Stening, 2010, p.57).
Secondly, it has produced opinion leaders who constantly sway or direct the trend of
public opinion (Tai, 2006, p.188). Finally, it has generated ‘the bandwagon effect’,
which can influence the rationality and criticalness of public opinion (Zhang and Sten-

ing, 2010, p.57).
Content on Weibo is mostly fragmented, and unfiltered, malicious, fragmented
information can have a negative influence on the society as a whole (Ji and Du, 2010).

Because of the fragmented discourse style on Weibo, users have developed the habit
of ‘fragmented reading’ and ‘fragmented reposting’. During the dissemination process,
pieces of information are gradually equivocated and twisted, which takes it further from
the fact. The anonymity of the disseminator has also loosened the rumourmonger from

self-control and social responsibility. Xue (2011) pointed out that anonymity allows us-
ers to express irrational opinions unscrupulously, and people may use online expression
as a channel for catharsis. Refutation of rumour usually takes much longer time and

reaches far less audiences than the spread of rumour.
The bandwagon effect and group polarisation effect are the main movers of ru-
mour dissemination on Weibo. Being exposed to the flood of diverse and complicated
information, incompetence in judging the authenticity of fragmented information makes

individuals lean on the group side. People tend to follow how other people behave, and
believe in the majority’s argument. Such credulous and blind following intensifies the
force of rumourmongers, rumour disseminators and rumour believers.

Sunstein (2002) used the term ‘group polarisation’ to demonstrate another neg-
ative influence. It refers to a phenomenon that individuals in a community may hold
irrational views initially, but online discussion allows information to spread in the com-

munity, and then leads to irrational debate in the community and finally comes up with

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