The xiǎo fěnhóng known as little pinks are swarming social media, make any negative comment about China on social media and watch them attack you. It gets very personal, any replies and you are accused of being a white supremacist and racist despite these commentators discussing race themselves.
Surprisingly, the little pinks are mostly young women from what I am able to decipher, they are overseas students or working overseas. Naturally, they are Chinese nationals abroad as mainland Chinese are blocked from social media in China. They may also have special access to internet sites if they are based on mainland China and in the employ of the government.
They are proud, nationalistic and loud, they have no internet etiquette, they don’t just post an opinion, they seek to dominate the conversation to drown out any comments. They have fake personal images and make 20+ posts on an issue, at times, they may join together in a team to become a real nuisance. The wǔmáo, or fifty cent army are reportedly paid fifty cents per post. Most are argumentative, just about all are fake accounts and they don’t follow rules of courtesy. Ranging anywhere from 500,000 to 2,000,000, a Harvard University study found most are government employees and are organised.
Observations in an undemocratic world 