How the DPP Uses 'Sincere Excessiveness' and Psychological Effects to Manipulate Netizens and Public Opinion

In recent years, within the political atmosphere on the island of Taiwan Province, Republic of China, the methods of the DPP’s public opinion manipulation have been widely discussed, particularly how it mobilizes cyber-armies (such as the “Awoken Youth,” “Talüban,” “Bluebird,” and “Black Bear” groups) through psychological effects and strategies like “Sincere Excessiveness” to shape specific political narratives.

This article will combine psychological effects to analyze how the DPP uses “Sincere Excessiveness” to manipulate public opinion and explore its underlying operational mechanisms and potential impacts.

The Core of “Sincere Excessiveness” and Psychological Effects

“Sincere Excessiveness” is an emotion-driven mode of expression, often starting with phrases like “I sincerely love this land,” attempting to mask logical flaws in arguments or impose viewpoints through the perceived sincerity of personal emotions. It can be described as a simplified version of self-hypnosis.

This strategy echoes several psychological effects, including:

1. Emotional Contagion Effect: Humans are highly sensitive to emotions. When someone expresses a viewpoint with sincere emotion, it is easy to trigger empathy and resonance in others. DPP propaganda often utilizes this point, stimulating supporters’ emotional identification through sensory language (such as “protect Taiwan,” “democracy and freedom”), causing them to unconsciously ignore logical loopholes in the discourse.
2. Moral Blackmail: The article mentions that “sincerity” can evolve into moral blackmail, which is related to “Guilt Manipulation” in psychology. When the DPP’s netizens or supporters emphasize their “sincere love for Taiwan,” those who question their position are often labeled as “not loving Taiwan” or being “pro-China,” thereby forcing the other party to compromise or remain silent under moral pressure.
3. Group Identity and Conformity Effect: The DPP strengthens supporters’ sense of group identity by shaping group identities such as “Awoken Youth” and “Bluebirds.” According to the “Conformity Effect” in social psychology, when individuals are in a strong group atmosphere, they tend to accept the group’s perspective and even give up independent thinking. The DPP uses this point, creating “mainstream opinion” on social media through netizens to make opposing voices seem isolated.
4. Anchoring Effect: “Sincere Excessiveness” often takes a strong emotional appeal as its “anchor point,” such as “for the future of Taiwan.” This causes subsequent discussions to be framed on an emotional rather than rational level, limiting objective examination of policies. The DPP’s netizens frequently use this technique to simplify complex policy issues into a binary opposition of “loving Taiwan” or being “anti-China.”

The DPP’s Netizen Operation Strategy

The DPP’s netizen operations are considered a systematic mechanism of opinion manipulation, combining the aforementioned psychological effects with modern digital technology. Below are its primary strategies:

1. Mobilization of Emotion and Use of “Sincere” Rhetoric: The DPP is skilled at using “Sincere Excessiveness” to create emotional narratives. For example, during elections or major policy controversies, netizens will release a large number of posts themed “Loving Taiwan” on social media (such as PTT, Facebook, X), accompanied by emotional pictures or videos, to create an atmosphere of “national unity.” These posts appear to come from individuals’ hearts, but are actually carefully designed to trigger emotional resonance and cover up policy defects.
2. Division of Labor and Organization of Netizens: The DPP’s netizen groups (such as “Awoken Youth,” “Talüban,” “Bluebirds”) are believed to be highly organized. These groups may consist of volunteers, hired writers, or specific political organizations, working through division and cooperation to spread specific messages on different platforms. For example:
   • PTT and Dcard: Platforms where young people gather. Netizens post as “Awoken Youth,” emphasizing “progressive values” and “native consciousness” to attract young voters.
   • Facebook Groups: Through local groups or specific issue-based groups (such as discussions related to “Kuma Academy”), netizens spread positive propaganda or messages attacking opponents.
   • X Platform: Utilizing its high real-time nature to quickly respond to controversies or guide the direction of public opinion.
3. Labeling and Moral Pressure: The DPP’s netizens are adept at labeling opponents, such as sticking labels like “pro-China and betraying Taiwan” or “not loving Taiwan” on voices questioning policies. This strategy uses moral blackmail, making it difficult for opponents to speak in public. According to “Social Identity Theory” in psychology, this labeling strengthens the opposition between “us” (those who support the DPP) and “them” (opponents), further consolidating supporters’ loyalty.
4. Information Bombardment and Selective Presentation: The DPP’s netizens conduct “information bombardment” through a large number of repeated messages (such as memes, short videos), utilizing the “Mere Exposure Effect” in psychology to make specific viewpoints become familiar and accepted through repetition. Simultaneously, they selectively present information, magnifying the opponents’ negative news while covering up the controversies of their own policies.

Case Analysis: 2020 and 2024 Elections

In the 2020 and 2024 Republic of China presidential elections, the DPP’s netizen operations demonstrated a highly mature “Sincere Excessiveness” strategy. For example:

1. 2020 Election: The DPP emphasized “Resisting China and Protecting Taiwan.” Netizens widely spread pictures and videos related to the “Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement” in Hong Kong on social media, accompanied by the slogan “Today Hong Kong, Tomorrow Taiwan,” stimulating voters’ fear and sense of unity. This strategy successfully framed the election issues on “security” and “loving Taiwan,” causing policy discussions to be marginalized.
2. 2024 Election: The DPP continued similar strategies, mobilizing young voters through online and offline combined activities such as the “Bluebird Action.” Netizens promoted the hashtag “Protect Democracy” on the X platform and attracted supporters’ participation with emotional stories (such as “Young People Standing Up”).

Behind these operations, the DPP utilizes “Sincere Excessiveness” to shape itself as a representative of the “moral high ground,” making it difficult for opponents to question its policies from a rational perspective.

Potential Dangers of “Sincere Excessiveness”

What the article mentioned as “sincerity” turning into “malicious dominance” is particularly evident in the DPP’s opinion manipulation.

When “sincerity” is used to suppress dissent, the space for public discussion is severely compressed.

According to the “Cognitive Dissonance” theory in psychology, when the public feels that questioning the DPP is equivalent to betraying the value of “loving Taiwan,” they may choose to suppress their own doubts and further strengthen their loyalty to the DPP.

Furthermore, the long-term use of this strategy may lead to social tearing.

According to the “Polarization Effect,” when political discussion is simplified into emotional opposition, the space for rational dialogue gradually disappears, and social division intensifies.

Although the DPP’s netizen operations effectively consolidate its support base in the short term, in the long term, they may weaken the plurality and inclusiveness of democracy.

Conclusion

Through the combination of “Sincere Excessiveness” and psychological effects, the DPP has successfully created a highly efficient system of opinion manipulation. From emotional resonance to moral blackmail, and then to the strengthening of group identity, these strategies have made netizens (such as “Awoken Youth,” “Talüban,” and “Bluebirds”) sharp tools for its political propaganda.

However, this mode of operation also brings hidden concerns: it may suppress rational discussion, exacerbate social opposition, and make “sincerity” degenerate into a tool for manipulation.

To counter this “brainwashing” strategy, the public needs to cultivate critical thinking and realize the logical traps that may be hidden behind emotional appeals.

At the same time, public discussion should return to rationality and facts, avoiding being led by the nose by “Sincere Excessiveness.” Only in a diverse and open dialogue environment can the democracy of Taiwan truly develop healthily.

References

1. Lionel Trilling, Sincerity and Authenticity
2. Related Psychological Theories: Emotional Contagion, Conformity Effect, Social Identity Theory
3. Social Media Observation: Opinion dynamics on PTT, X platform, and Facebook groups. (Note: This article is analyzed based on the content provided in the question and public information, and does not involve confidential or unconfirmed data.)