Chinese government hires social media influencers ahead of Winter Olympics
The Olympics are practically tailor-made for inspirational posts. That's not necessarily a good thing.
As the 2022 Winter Olympics spin up in and around Beijing, The Guardianreports that the Chinese government has, via a consulting firm, hired scores of social media influencers in an attempt to burnish its tarnished reputation. The UK firm in question is reportedly tasked with promoting the content specifically in the United States.
Prime Day deals you can shop right now
Products available for purchase here through affiliate links are selected by our merchandising team. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.iRobot Roomba Combo i3+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum and Mop—$329.99(List Price $599.99)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet—$178.99(List Price $219.99)
Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen With MagSafe USB-C Charging Case—$199.00(List Price $249.00)
Eero 6 Dual-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System (Router + 2 Extenders)—$149.99(List Price $199.99)
Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS, 41mm, Midnight, S/M, Sports Band)—$299.00(List Price $399.00)
The content in question will allegedly both highlight Beijing's history and culture, as well as emphasize positive aspects of the relationship between China and the U.S.
Of course, that a host country would use the Olympics as a marketing opportunity is itself not new or even surprising. That's kind of what the global sporting event is all about, after all. That a country might hire marketing firms to flood social media with seemingly organic content is worth noting, however.
The social media push comes at a time when the Chinese government is facing sustained criticism for its internment of Uyghur Muslims, and a so-called diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics by the officials representing the U.S., Australia, Britain, and Canada.
It also comes on the heels of a sport-specific scandal. In November, the Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai went missing after publicly accusing a former vice premier of China of sexual assault.
Tweet may have been deleted
The hashtag "#whereispengshuai" even trended in response to her disappearance.
SEE ALSO:A look back at the thrills and spills of the 1998 Winter OlympicsWe imagine any hashtags coming out of China's social media Winter Olympics sponcon plans will be of a different sort entirely.
-
Revolutionary gridLucid Air Dream Edition demolishes EV range expectationsNK delegation heads to Seoul for second leg of tripLeaked pics show Google's new pricey Chromebook 'Pixelbook' and stylusRepublicans on abortionElon Musk promises Tesla owners Full SelfJake Gyllenhaal's 'Stronger' is worth watching5 coolest cases for the iPhone 13When will Trump and Harris debate? The presidential campaigns snipe over ABC News’ rules.Joint Korean hockey team to play at least 3 N. Koreans at PyeongChang Olympics
- ·The Best AMD Ryzen Gaming Laptops (So Far)
- ·Amazon wants to put a massive Echo on your wall, report claims
- ·宝兴联社新春送慰问 关怀暖人心
- ·Tesla scraps its referral programs for everything but solar roof
- ·17 Spectacular Outdoor Staircases
- ·US won‘t meet NK officials during Olympics: report
- ·Cyclone Gita, 2018's strongest storm, slams Pacific nation of Tonga
- ·Seoul to seek regular high
- ·雅安市举办首届“文轩教育”校园足球精英夏令营
- ·6 huge award show mishaps that were as bad as Sean Spicer at the Emmys
- ·Germany, Spain open World Cup with tense wins as Norway cruise
- ·Elon Musk just deleted SpaceX, Tesla Facebook pages
- ·World’s first ‘meltdown
- ·Amazon wants to put a massive Echo on your wall, report claims
- ·天全县新场乡董家村文体联动树新风
- ·US won‘t meet NK officials during Olympics: report
- ·Where to pre
- ·Someone actually completed this insane Super Mario puzzle
- ·Emmys: Sean Spicer isn't a joke, he's a disgrace. Stop applauding.
- ·雨城区沙坪镇下乡慰问送温暖
- ·Trump trials: Jack Smith is reportedly reconsidering his strategy.
- ·Nadal won't target Federer Slam record
- ·IOC to discuss options on two Koreas’ Olympic agreement
- ·AI助阵!本周重点是各地市委农村工作会议丨市委书记抓乡村振兴(2024.05.27
- ·Spaceship tech slashes energy usage of existing AC systems
- ·Scientists just named a newly discovered water beetle after Leonardo DiCaprio
- ·10 Big Misconceptions About Computer Hardware
- ·英九庄园:数字赋能,打造英德红茶“金”招牌丨广东农企品牌价值50强评选企业巡礼
- ·iOS 11 is already on almost 15 percent of Apple devices
- ·Elon Musk's old password reveals how much he really loves NASA
- ·雅安公安接连破获两起汉源湖非法捕捞案
- ·Joint Korean hockey team to play at least 3 N. Koreans at PyeongChang Olympics
- ·Elon Musk promises Tesla owners Full Self
- ·封开杏花鸡:香飘“粤地优品”品鉴夜 引领地标品牌新飞跃
- ·Pixel 9 Pro XL hands
- ·This pigeon is way more religious than you'll ever be