Research on Public Opinion Control in Online Public Opinion Events: A Case Study of the "Li Wenliang Incident"

Jiaying Li

doi:10.54097/8pt1gm75

Authors

Jiaying Li

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/8pt1gm75

Keywords:

Online public opinion events, Public opinion control, Public administration.

Abstract

Public opinion refers to the views and attitudes of the public toward certain public events within a specific period. Therefore, the study and management of public opinion are crucial. The incident involving Dr. Li Wenliang during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, where he was reprimanded for warning about the virus, sparked significant dissatisfaction among netizens toward government departments. His death further escalated public sentiment, leading to an unprecedented "national funeral" on social media, which placed immense pressure on the government. Although the public opinion surrounding this incident was eventually well-managed, it exposed shortcomings in the government's ability to control public opinion. This paper examines the Li Wenliang incident during the pandemic, analyzes the public opinion at each stage based on the lifecycle theory of online public opinion events, and provides suggestions and measures for handling similar events in the future.

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