Analyzing Satire in Chinese Political Discourse: A Computational and Thematic Approach

• In Event: 41021 - Student Forum Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Roundtable 3: The Political Economy of China

Abstract

Political satire is often viewed as a form of indirect political expression commonly employed in authoritarian regimes like China. When social media is heavily regulated, satire serves as a rhetorical tool to circumvent censorship. However, satire might vary across various types of political discussion, including housing, unemployment, and the overwork culture. While prior research has extensively examined political satire and censorship in China, there is little research comparing how satire functions differently across political discussion themes. This study hypothesizes the correlation between political discussion themes and the role and characteristics of satire in political discourse. Specifically, it examines (1) the correlation between discussion themes and stance to assess whether satire is a necessary feature for expressing dissent, (2) the prevalence of satire, measured by the proportion of satirical posts within each theme, and (3) the relationship between linguistic ambiguity and satire to determine whether ambiguity is a key strategy for evading censorship.
The methodology consists of three main steps: (1) Construct a dataset by creating a random sample from a list of select political themes and scraping the top discussion forums, recommended by the platform’s algorithms, to ensure the sample reflects the overall user experience. (2) Text annotation based on the post’s stance, ambiguity, and the presence of satire. (3) Applying natural language processing techniques to examine cross-topic variations in the use of satire and other rhetorical strategies. This approach facilitates a systematic exploration of how different types of public political discussions utilize satire to evade censorship.
This research contributes to the broader understanding of political discourse under authoritarianism, offering insights into how citizens navigate the boundaries of permissible speech.

Author

• Jiayao Chen, University of Washington