If you spend any time on social media in China, you've almost certainly come across the curious phrase “We're bringing you the trend.” The phrase is ubiquitous in reports about serious social injustices, such as companies deceiving consumers. It's shorthand for users' efforts to spread information rapidly to bring about social change.
How it works is relatively simple: most Chinese social media sites maintain a list of “trending” topics – in theory a collection of the most popular and discussed keywords at any given moment, selected and displayed according to the platform's opaque algorithms. Entertainment news and gossip are usually dominant, but the lists are subject to some degree of user control, and any topic that gets enough likes and comments can quickly climb the charts. Once there, it's visible to all users of the platform, and therefore can generate significant attention and discussion.
Thus, the spontaneous action of internet users to comment “send to trends” can be seen as a kind of collective resistance to the existing logic of algorithmic categorization. At the heart of this resistance is a struggle for visibility, in which different interest groups seek to increase their public recognition and social discursive power.
Let's look at one typical case. On May 7, 2022, a user on the microblogging site Weibo posted a video accusing a Nankai University faculty member of having an inappropriate relationship with a student. The video attracted a large amount of traffic in the comments section, and support quickly spread from the original post to the university's official Weibo account. Soon, keywords such as “Nankai University” and the faculty member's name began to trend. Posts containing related words quickly exceeded 100 million views and hovered around 11th place on Weibo's trending list.
On May 8, the words were removed from the trending section, and Nankai University's official Weibo account closed comments on the post. Two days later, Nankai University told a China News Weekly reporter that it was investigating the incident and would address the issue. This led to a new phrase quickly appearing on Weibo's trending page: “Nankai University responds to signed accusations against faculty members,” and this tag was also removed on May 11.
But the incident did not end there. On May 13, Nankai University announced the results of its investigation, including disciplinary measures against the three faculty members, after initiating comment moderation. By May 15, hashtags combining Nankai University and the names of the accused faculty members had been viewed more than 220 million times and generated more than 700,000 interactions, figures that were largely achieved despite the platform's interference.
Winning this battle requires constantly refining tactics, and social media users are constantly developing new approaches to try to beat the algorithms. One such tactic is “encryption,” where users create encrypted methods of communication to avoid messages being automatically filtered by algorithmic detection techniques. This can include using abbreviations (such as “NK” for Nankai University), inserting punctuation into sensitive words (such as “sex/ual assa/ult”), using unusual expressions or symbols (such as breaking down Chinese characters into their component parts), or sharing screenshots of text.
Another tactic is “appropriation,” where users seek algorithmic visibility by actively clicking, sharing, commenting, adding hashtags, paying membership fees, etc., thereby leaving a trail of data that algorithms can analyze.
Moreover, users can achieve more productive results by using tactics such as “relays” and “bricolage.” A relay is when many different users post the exact same text. In the process, users demonstrate spontaneous connections and a sense of community. Although platforms sometimes remove accounts engaged in relaying information, users typically encourage each other to continue the relay. No matter how precarious and imagined it may be, it creates a kind of collective identity that helps to unite participants and build momentum.
On the other hand, “bricolage” is demonstrated by users’ creative use of platform features, such as hijacking the comments section of unrelated news reports or linking related topics to contemporaneous trending events. For example, during the Nankai University incident, netizens linked the university to topics such as Mother’s Day and the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. One original post with multiple hashtags read, “Today is Mother’s Day, but I can’t sleep because I’m angry at your university… What will happen to women in 2022? Will all victims have to be so humiliated before they can speak up?” Such online posts aim to gain a greater forum for discussion and social support for related issues.
Overall, algorithmic resistance is a form of spontaneous collective action by grassroots users to correct the platform's unfair visibility policies and demand social justice. Of course, this kind of spontaneous resistance lacks sustained critical reflection, and users have neither the motivation nor the ability to engage on an ongoing basis. Netizens' comments are often irrational and emotional, more like cathartic reactions than meaningful and coherent outlets. Some even turn violent, deviating from the original intent of fighting for justice and personal dignity.
Finally, it must be said that ordinary netizens join algorithmic resistance because of their dissatisfaction with online visibility controlled by the platform's algorithm. However, their methods of resistance include actively participating in the competition for algorithmic traffic, which further integrates them into the existing algorithmic sorting mechanism and further increases traffic to the platform. Ironically, the biggest beneficiaries of algorithmic resistance may be the platforms themselves.
Translator: David Ball, editor: Wu Haiyun, portrait artist: Wang Zhenhao.
(Header image: Ramas/VectorStock/VCG, reedited by Sixth Tone)
