Features and problem aspects of the operation of social networks in the context of Chinese information policy during the pandemic

In this article, the author analyzes some features of the functioning of social networks in the context of a pandemic using the example of China. Mainly based on foreign publications, it is shown how social networks influence the phenomenon of infodemic in the context of health emergencies. This problem is considered in the context of the issue of government regulation of public opinion during a pandemic. As an example, the article cites the state’s use of social networks WeChat and Weibo in the coronavirus situation. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the “duration” criterion in the process of disseminating online opinions. The author also shows how Chinese censorship affects the dissemination of information in the context of emergency situations, demonstrating this problem using the example of information asymmetry. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to rethink established approaches to organizing interaction between society and the state in emergency situations. It has become clear that mobile social networks can be used to improve the quality of responses to problematic situations in society and that the expression of public sentiment on online platforms represents a weather vane of real social trends. Social networks can both separate and unite the state and society in the fight against emergency situations.