Cross-National Agenda Setting: Information Flows in East Asian Digital Space

• In Event: Global Media Flows and Impacts

Abstract

In examining the global information environment as a digital ecosystem, this paper investigates the dynamics of information propagation across national borders via digital platforms and its impact on public discourse reciprocally. We aim to contribute to the field of multi-platform political communication research by introducing the theory of cross-platform and cross-national agenda setting. This theory posits that information flowing between countries through digital platforms influences the domestic agenda-setting process according to each nation’s political goals, further mediated by geopolitical relations. Through extensive big data analysis encompassing multiple modalities, languages, and platforms within China and South Korea’s digital ecosystems, we explore the discourse surrounding Japan’s discharge of treated radioactive water. Our findings reveal that while Chinese information inflows stimulate civil society engagement against the government’s stance, serving as a tool to pressure their own government, South Korean inflows to China facilitate nationalism and channel dissent to alleviate societal pressure on international events. The results also highlight the asymmetric influence of cross-national agenda setting, with South Korean information exerting a stronger impact on China. This study offers valuable insights into the nature of cross-platform political communication in an interconnected world. The agenda-setting asymmetry underscores the impact of political and media systems, as well as geopolitical relationships in cross-platform information flow.

Authors

• Kaiping Zhang, Tsinghua University

• Zijing Zhao, Tsinghua University

• Jiongyi Cao, Tsinghua University

• Tianguang Meng, Tsinghua University