BEIJING: Government departments across multiple regions in China have been shutting down official social media accounts this year as part of a broader effort to curb formalism and bureaucracy and ease burdens on grassroots governments.
On Aug 14, the public security bureau of Rongcheng, Shandong province, announced the deactivation of its official Weibo account due to operational needs. The account, which began posting in June 2014, had amassed only about 500 followers and 860 posts over a decade.
Since the start of the year, numerous government agencies in cities including Kunming in Yunnan province, Changsha in Hunan province and Shenzhen in Guangdong province have closed their social media accounts, redirecting the public to the accounts of higher-level departments, government websites and official apps.
In 2013, the General Office of the State Council encouraged local governments to use social media platforms to release information promptly. As a result, government social media accounts proliferated, becoming key channels for government transparency, public services, and public engagement.
However, issues such as redundant functions, unhelpful content, infrequent updates and poor management have arisen, occasionally leading to public relations crises.
For example, pornographic content appeared on the official Weibo account of the Zhongzhai township government in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, in December 2016. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
