The Olympics are virtually tailored for inspirational posts. That is not essentially an excellent factor.
Because the 2022 Winter Olympics spin up in and round Beijing, The Guardian experiences that the Chinese language authorities has, by way of a consulting agency, employed scores of social media influencers in an try and burnish its tarnished fame. The UK agency in query is reportedly tasked with selling the content material particularly in america.
The content material in query will allegedly each spotlight Beijing’s historical past and tradition, in addition to emphasize optimistic facets of the connection between China and the U.S.
After all, {that a} host nation would use the Olympics as a advertising and marketing alternative is itself not new and even stunning. That is sort of what the worldwide sporting occasion is all about, in spite of everything. {That a} nation may rent advertising and marketing companies to flood social media with seemingly natural content material is value noting, nonetheless.
The social media push comes at a time when the Chinese language authorities is dealing with sustained criticism for its internment of Uyghur Muslims, and a so-called diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics by the officers representing the U.S., Australia, Britain, and Canada.
It additionally comes on the heels of a sport-specific scandal. In November, the Chinese language tennis star Peng Shuai went lacking after publicly accusing a former vice premier of China of sexual assault.
The hashtag “#whereispengshuai” even trended in response to her disappearance.
We think about any hashtags popping out of China’s social media Winter Olympics sponcon plans might be of a unique kind totally.