Why Do Authoritarian Regimes Conduct Propaganda Even If People Do Not Read Them?

• In Event: Foreign Influence Operations, Propaganda, and Sharp Power

Abstract

In the digital era, authoritarian regimes persist in producing extensive propaganda, often escaping the public's notice. This study seeks to unravel the enigma of why governments invest in propaganda that appears to go unread. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the research contends that such propaganda is not designed for influencing the general public but primarily serves as a communication tool among government officials. Local leaders strategically employ propaganda channels to showcase their competence and loyalty to their peers, thereby advancing their careers within the authoritarian system. To test this argument, the paper examines 1.4 million Chinese city government propaganda posts on WeChat between January 2016 and December 2019 and the positional changes of city party secretaries between June 2017 and December 2019. The study reveals that propaganda posts garner minimal public attention, suggesting their intended audience is not the general populace. Instead, city propaganda accounts intensify their output at the close of each year when officials undergo annual evaluations. These posts accentuate leaders' accomplishments, commitment to governance improvement, and unwavering dedication to party ideology and political objectives. Furthermore, as city leaders approach the end of their tenures, propaganda efforts escalate significantly. Additionally, my analysis demonstrates that intensified propaganda efforts enhance the career prospects of local party secretaries. These results underscore the strategic use of propaganda by officials as a means of communication within their ranks. They call for a deeper understanding of the purpose and actual audience of authoritarian propaganda, prompting a reevaluation of the generalizations drawn from experimental studies on propaganda effects.

Author

• Jianjun Yu