Proceedings of the 2025 5th International Conference on Culture, Design and Social Development (CDSD 2025)

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Silence or Acquiescence: The Emergence and Evolution of Online Pan-Moralism in Weibo Hotspot Comment Sections

Authors
Hao Ding1, *, Fang Xie2
1School of Journalism, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang, Jiangsu, 222000, China
2Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang, Jiangsu, 222000, China
*Corresponding author. Email: 531805380@qq.com
Corresponding Author
Hao Ding
Available Online 26 February 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_122How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Weibo; Post-truth; Moralism; Cyberspace
Abstract

Drawing on an analysis of Weibo comments on trending news events and applying an LDA topic model, this study examines how online pan-moralism emerges and develops within the interplay between cultural psychology and platform-based interaction. The findings indicate that the formation of pan-moralism on Weibo is fundamentally driven by the culturally mediated transformation of individual emotions into collective moral attributions. Its evolutionary trajectory unfolds through a sequence of emotional expression, collective moral evaluation, opinion polarization, and the diffusion of labeling practices.

The study further reveals that pan-moralism in Weibo’s comment sections not only restructures the agenda of online discussions but also intensifies the tension between rational deliberation and emotional mobilization. These dynamics highlight the distinctive cultural logic underlying China’s digital public sphere and provide empirical insights into opinion guidance in contemporary networked communication environments.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 2025 5th International Conference on Culture, Design and Social Development (CDSD 2025)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
26 February 2026
ISBN
978-2-38476-541-6
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_122How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Hao Ding
AU  - Fang Xie
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/26
TI  - Silence or Acquiescence: The Emergence and Evolution of Online Pan-Moralism in Weibo Hotspot Comment Sections
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 5th International Conference on Culture, Design and Social Development (CDSD 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 1080
EP  - 1087
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_122
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_122
ID  - Ding2026
ER  -