China launches campaign to keep killjoys off the internet

"The Chinese government is taking aim at an emotion that has become all too common on the country's internet - despondency. This week, China's Cyberspace Administration launched a two-month campaign to curb social media posts that "excessively exaggerate negative and pessimistic sentiments". The goal, according to authorities, is to "rectify negative emotions" and "create a more civilised and rational online environment"."

"China has been grappling with an economic slowdown in the wake of a property crisis, high youth unemployment and cut-throat competition for admission to colleges and jobs - all of which have given rise to a sense of disillusionment among its younger generation. Young people in China "have serious questions about future prospects of their lives" and "must confront the fact that their livelihood is very likely going to be worse than their parents' generation,""

"Last week, well-known content creator Hu Chenfeng had his social media accounts scrubbed of all posts. No-one knows why because Chinese officials gave no explanation. But it's widely believed that this was in response to a viral comment that he had recently made, classifying people and items as either "Apple" or "Android" - with the latter used to describe things that are inferior to the former."

Chinese authorities launched a two-month campaign to curb social media posts that "excessively exaggerate negative and pessimistic sentiments" and to "rectify negative emotions." The campaign aims to create a more civilised and rational online environment and targets narratives such as "studying is useless," "hard work is useless" and expressions of world-weariness. An economic slowdown after a property crisis, high youth unemployment and fierce competition for college places and jobs have fueled disillusionment among younger people. Beijing has imposed sanctions on influencers and platforms, including account removals and scrubbed posts without explanation.

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