Internet and Practical Ideological and Political Work

Author: Xie Haiguang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-06-02
Features: It is an urgent issue to establish a professional ideological and political work team with good political quality, familiar with Party education work, proficient in network communication technology, and a certain level of foreign language proficiency in universities as soon as possible. On one hand, measures should be taken to adjust the structure of ideological and political work cadres, strengthen training for incumbent cadres, and enable ideological and political work in universities to adapt quickly to new situations and tasks. On the other hand, it is necessary to align with the current personnel reform process in universities, establish an optimal talent recruitment mechanism, and form a stable cadre team dedicated to using the internet for ideological and political work. This will create a policy environment conducive to the development of outstanding talents, thereby forming a stable and dedicated team of full-time and part-time workers. The internet itself is a new phenomenon, and we must complete the arduous task of ideological and political work in an unfamiliar field. The difficulty is self-evident. If we ourselves have little understanding of the internet, our implementation will lack confidence, and we will proceed step by step without a comprehensive understanding or systematic strategy, making it difficult to remain invincible in the fierce online struggle. It will also be even harder to fulfill the task of cultivating high-quality comprehensive talents entrusted to us by the Party Central Committee. Therefore, researching, discussing, applying, and improving strategies in this regard is a major historical issue facing every new-era ideological and political worker.
The term "community" is quite popular both online and offline, becoming one of the most frequently used words. Broadly speaking, a community refers to a unit where people live, work, and entertain. With the vigorous development of the internet, "virtual communities" have become an indispensable part of online life. Many people participate in multiple virtual communities, just as they do in the real world:
One of the advantages of the internet for "virtual communities" is that it can transcend geographical limitations, making it possible to build communities. Internet users can also achieve information exchange within virtual spaces. If used correctly, "virtual communities" can become a powerful tool for promoting information development, as they encourage mutual communication, which is also the primary reason for their formation.
Enterprising and Innovative
"Virtual communities" are often referred to as "CLUBS (clubs)" by internet users and are one of the main ideological forms of the internet today. They generally include features such as bulletin boards, discussion forums, community communication, member search, online chat, and games. In short, they strive to provide various communication and service tools that real communities can offer. Many functions of real communities have been incorporated into "virtual communities," which is the foundation for their existence and rapid development. According to statistics from a U.S. internet company in 2000, 70% of Americans who used the internet daily participated in one or more "virtual communities." In contrast, in China today, the establishment and operation of "virtual communities" have grown from nothing to something in less than a year, yet their popularity has far exceeded everyone's imagination.
In modern ideological and political work, especially for students, information coverage is extremely important. It can be said that for the online promotion of ideological and political education, "virtual communities" are an absolutely fertile and untapped frontier. If the advantages of "virtual communities" are leveraged to expand the coverage of ideological and political work, enabling more internet users, especially students, to receive ideological and political education while online, it will greatly advance the process of networking ideological and political work.
To truly enter the realm of "virtual communities," there are roughly two methods: "entering" and "creating."
### 1. Entering Communities
"Entering" refers to engaging in ideological and political work within existing "virtual communities" on the internet. Currently, the following websites with "virtual community" characteristics are relatively familiar to student internet users: "The9 City" (http://www.the9.com), "Noah City" (http://www.noahcity.com), Classover, and the "Alumni List" of Chinaren, among others. These "virtual communities" have well-designed sections, rich content, and often feature role-playing areas with strong participation, attracting many users.
First, we can utilize the existing sections of these websites as information platforms, leveraging the traffic of "virtual community" users to upload ideological and political content, current news, and more in areas such as bulletin boards, discussion forums, chat rooms, and voting sections. Generally, the function of bulletin boards is primarily to publish news events or social dynamics, making them a static window for ideological and political work. In discussion forums and voting sections, user interaction is particularly important. Ideological and political workers can regularly post topics related to ideological and political work in discussion forums for discussion; upload commentaries on current politics; or use polls to gauge public opinion on certain events, which can serve as guidance for future ideological and political work. Additionally, online "organizational life" can be held in chat rooms within "virtual communities," utilizing the internet's lack of geographical limitations and the high popularity of "virtual communities" to truly achieve the widespread dissemination of ideological and political work. For "virtual communities" with simpler structures, such as the "Alumni List" of Chinaren, making a few comments in the posting section can spark major discussions within the community. Ideological and political workers might as well start from here.
Second, the networking of ideological and political work can also be achieved by establishing fixed thematic columns for ideological and political work in existing "virtual communities" or by using links to connect these "virtual communities" with major outstanding political and ideological websites.
### 2. Creating Unique Features
"Creating" refers to establishing "virtual communities" focused on ideological and political work. Today, the internet in China has already seen many specialized academic websites. Regardless of their form, the establishment of these websites has played an irreplaceable role in promoting Chinese academic research on a global scale. Among them, the "Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Mao Zedong Works Library" (http://melm.myetang.com), the "Chinese Academy of Social Sciences" (http://www.cass.net.cn), and the "Chinese Academy of Sciences" (http://www.cashq.sc.cn) are successful examples of specialized academic websites. These academic websites have, to some extent, promoted the networking of ideological and political work. However, to truly expand the coverage of ideological and political work, ideological and political workers can learn from the more successful "virtual communities" on the internet and create their own communities.
1. Community Content Should Be Rich and Engaging
For any "virtual community," the key to success lies in whether the content is appealing. Currently, a major issue in many "virtual communities" is the lack of content. Currently, except for a few exceptions, most domestic "virtual communities" only have a beautiful exterior but lack substantial content, while many others do not even have a good exterior—they are merely chat rooms or BBS. The internet is a new world, but the paradigm and structure of communities must always conform to the characteristics of the human mind. Logically, forming a "virtual community" that can be described as "beautiful" must also be a process that fully approximates human behavior. In commercial terms: people-centered, personalized services. A "virtual community" focused on ideological and political work is no exception. Although such communities have ideological and political work as their theme, the content of ideological and political work communities should still be as humanized and vivid as possible, avoiding empty and rigid content or lagging update speeds. Current affairs news and news commentaries can serve as rotating columns, while the works of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Deng Xiaoping can be permanent content. Selected papers, fact analysis, and thematic discussions can serve as means of mutual communication among users, while guest programs such as face-to-face online interviews with famous scholars can enrich the content of the "virtual community."
2. Community Section Settings Should Be Unique
In addition to the general platform features of "virtual communities" such as bulletin boards, discussion forums, chat rooms, voting sections, file sharing, photo sharing, and contact lists, ideological and political workers can also establish temporary sections based on changes in the world situation and political trends to align with the development of ideological and political work at different times. During special periods, the entire community can even be set up as a thematic community focused on ideological and political work, allowing more online users to learn and understand in a timely manner, such as during the National People's Congress or when constitutional and other laws are being amended.
In a "psychological coffee house" on a website, a topic that many people are concerned about was discussed: how to deal with psychological pressure and overcome the mindset of "fear of losing." In today's world, where competition and rivalry increasingly replace the tranquility of pastoral life, people's ability to withstand psychological pressure is becoming increasingly fragile. They often lose their way between success and failure, gain and loss, and fall into the psychological trap of "fear of losing." On this hot topic, netizens engaged in lively discussions online.
Hm said: The way out of the fear of losing lies in looking to the distance, always pursuing life's great goals with an open mind, and not giving up because of immediate gains or losses. Short-sightedness will lead to losing everything, while Weibing compared the "law of energy conservation" with the "law of conservation of gains and losses," believing that fish and bear paws cannot be had together—nothing is lost without something gained. Meanwhile, Boby used a "picking wheat grains" example once used by Socrates to prove that the fear of losing is like the feeling of "losing a horse" in the story of "Sino," caused by inexperience and a lack of confidence. Blindly fearing gains and losses only leads to repeated mistakes. Such open and impactful discussions can be truly beneficial.
Many people come to the online psychological garden with heavy hearts, carrying insomnia, stuttering, social phobia, exam anxiety, pessimistic worries, marital crises, and communication barriers. Here, they find a strong fulcrum for balancing their mental scales and then walk away with ease. Online psychological exchanges can explore the impact of the internet on people's minds in modern society and the challenges to traditional interpersonal communication methods, enriching campus cultural life. Some even organize online family simulations and meetups for netizens. Imagine, without the internet, in this tense and busy era, when high-rise buildings have divided our limited living spaces, who would quietly listen to your confessions, or who would pause their rushed steps to offer you passionate counseling and healing?
Ideological and political education is the main channel in traditional education that guides students on how to be people. In the contemporary Chinese environment, it is facing the challenges of the times. Ideological and political education teaches people to learn, to do, to coexist, and to be, to understand their environment, and to fully grasp their individual lives. Psychological counseling, through honest and open communication, helps identify and adjust cognitive biases, transform moods, boost spirits, and actively engage in life. For example, modern Chinese people often feel "trouble" and "exhaustion," and analyzing the reasons, the prominent misconception is the unreasonable "comparison." Indeed, people always live in comparison, giving rise to self-esteem and self-doubt. However, some unrealistic and artificial evaluations in real life by managers and individuals have further exacerbated people's misconceptions in comparison. Online psychological counseling primarily helps people change unreasonable thinking patterns. Consciousness and concepts influence emotions, and emotions interfere with will and behavioral attitudes. Only by learning to think from both positive and negative angles, from the perspective of contradictions and oppositions, from multiple angles, and by putting oneself in others' shoes can one overcome mental pressure, eliminate negative attitudes such as loneliness, fear, and anxiety, and overcome setbacks and emerge from adversity. Life itself is full of dialectics, and online psychological counseling services should also permeate dialectics, guiding minds out of rigid, linear, and unrealistic miscalculations to avoid life tragedies.
Because extreme phenomena online are extremely serious, the emergence of online psychological counseling and its special ideological and educational functions can be considered a pioneering reform and improvement of ideological and political education. As a new thing that specifically serves the physical and mental health of college students, it will increasingly be recognized by college educators and students. Although many misconceptions still exist about psychological counseling, the ice has begun to crack.