The impact of the internet on the communication of Chinese nationalism is a subject of ongoing debate. While some argue that technology and symbols foster online nationalism and enhance political expression, others point to the party-state's influence, leading to both pro-government and critical voices. Existing research often overlooks the public's engagement with online nationalism and their interaction with platforms. Studies have analyzed nationalism reflected in social media comments, but often lack comprehensive datasets and ignore platform-audience interactions. This study addresses these gaps by examining Chinese online nationalism as "imaginary engagement." By analyzing a large-scale dataset of Tencent news comments during the 2012 Diaoyu (Senkaku) Islands incident, the research explores how platforms portray nationalist events, how audiences express nationalist sentiment, and their interactions. The Diaoyu (Senkaku) Islands incident is a significant case study because it exemplifies the complex interplay between government regulation, media platforms, and public sentiment. Tencent is chosen as a representative platform due to its popularity, extensive user base via QQ and WeChat, and its opinion columns that function as a form of news. This analysis will reveal the detailed expressions of online audiences and how platforms react to this public opinion, showing how this interaction creates the 'imaginary engagement' with Chinese online nationalism.

The concept of nationalism is explored through its three core elements: national boundaries, collective memory, and people's engagement. The authors posit that online engagement with Chinese nationalism is essentially imaginary, as audiences, largely unknown to each other, form their perceptions through online content. The interplay between audiences and platforms shapes this imaginary engagement; platforms incentivize engagement to increase traffic, but employ restrictive strategies when nationalism threatens the government. This imaginary engagement arises from the collusion of platforms, audiences, and the government. Platforms profit by shaping nationalist opinions but must also adhere to government regulations. Audiences express nationalist sentiments, contributing to the government's legitimacy. The government regulates platforms to maintain its legitimacy while mitigating risks posed by excessive nationalism. The study distinguishes between stimulative and restrictive news framing. Stimulative news fuels emotions, while restrictive strategies reduce irrational nationalist behavior. The review also highlights the role of emotions in shaping nationalist sentiment and support for the government. Rational and irrational patriotism are distinguished, with the study focusing on how platforms might attempt to guide public sentiment toward the former. The interplay between the government, media platforms, and audiences' opinions and the concept of imaginary engagement are central to this framework.

The study uses data from Tencent news and comments related to the 2012 Diaoyu (Senkaku) Islands incident. Tencent's Jinri Huati column, which provides in-depth analysis and opinion pieces alongside news, was analyzed. The researchers used the Shuimiao system to automatically gather comment data. Manual coding was used to categorize the Jinri Huati news as either stimulative or restrictive based on its framing and call to action, whether it sought to encourage strong engagement or to moderate responses. A coding scheme was developed to categorize the nationalist sentiment in comments into five levels (very high, high, neutral, low, very low), with intercoder reliability assessed. Sentiment analysis was conducted using the Python package cnsenti (for emotions) and an Automated Sentiment Analysis Program (ASAP). The ASAP, adapted from Hopkins and King (2010), uses a supervised machine learning approach with unbiased estimation, including steps for natural language processing with Chinese word segmentation, training set assignment (using 300-500 manually coded comments per news report), word table construction, unbiased proportion estimation, and results reporting. Logistic regression analysis (both OLS and mixed effects) was used to test hypotheses regarding the relationship between Tencent's communication strategy and audiences' online nationalism, with support for China as the dependent variable.

The analysis revealed a pattern of Tencent shifting from stimulative to restrictive news framing as the Diaoyu (Senkaku) Islands incident escalated. Initially, Tencent published news with relatively low frequency, but this increased significantly as the conflict intensified. Of the 18 Jinri Huati news reports analyzed, only two were stimulative, while 16 were restrictive. The spike in comments in late August and early September corresponded with the climax of the incident and Tencent's increased coverage. The analysis of user comments using ASAP showed that a large portion (70.57%) fell into the "high" category of nationalist sentiment, while "very high" sentiment (15.88%) was present but significantly lower than "high." The proportion of "very low" sentiment was minimal (0.28%). Logistic regression analysis confirmed a negative relationship between Tencent's restrictive news framing and online nationalism. The length of comments positively influenced nationalism, indicating stronger engagement intensified nationalist sentiment. Emotions of love, anger, and disgust increased support for China, while happiness had the opposite effect.

The findings show Tencent's ability to influence online nationalism through strategic news framing. The platform successfully balanced the need to engage audiences with the need to control the spread of potentially harmful, extreme nationalism. The shift towards a restrictive strategy coincided with the escalation of offline protests and violence. The prevalence of "high," rather than "very high," nationalist sentiment in online comments suggests that Tencent's framing and government influence successfully steered public discourse towards a more moderate form of nationalism. The study's findings contribute to a broader understanding of the complex interplay between platforms, audiences, and government in shaping online nationalism in China. It highlights the platform’s role in moderating and guiding online sentiment, while also demonstrating the limitations of this approach when facing intense offline expressions of nationalism.

This study provides empirical evidence supporting the concept of Chinese online nationalism as imaginary engagement. Tencent, through strategic news framing, effectively manages online nationalism, balancing audience engagement with government interests. The findings highlight the collaborative role of platforms, audiences, and the government in shaping online discourse. Future research could explore the long-term effects of platform strategies on online nationalism and investigate the role of other platforms in shaping public opinion on similar events.

The study focuses on Tencent's platform and the 2012 Diaoyu (Senkaku) Islands incident. The findings may not be generalizable to other platforms or events. The reliance on automated sentiment analysis might introduce limitations in capturing the nuances of human language and interpretation. The study acknowledges the challenges of categorizing patriotism as solely "rational" or "irrational," particularly in the context of inherently violent nationalist sentiments.