Loyalty to WeChat beyond national borders: a perspective of media system dependency theory on techno-nationalism

Abstract

Using qualitative data gained through mixed methods, this study examines WeChat’s entanglement with the Chinese diaspora’s social life in liberal societies. We argue that the Chinese government’s policies and WeChat’s system apparatus intertwine with the Chinese diaspora’s socialization processes in host societies. The overarching force behind this is techno-nationalism, which enables the Chinese government’s control of the media and propaganda to transcend national boundaries. Media system dependency theory, which provides a helpful analytical tool for traditional media consumption, also has the power to illuminate new media’s various kinds of ties with its users.