"Free to Talk" When Ocean Current Meets "Woman I'm the Biggest", watch the cross-border "Break the circle in both directions"

Shen Boyang (4th from the right) and Su Qiaohui (4th from the left) recently appeared together on "The Biggest Woman" hosted by Lan Xinmei. (Provided by TVBS)

Legislator Shen Boyang appeared on the program "Woman I'm the Biggest" hosted by Lan Xinmei for 24 years, triggering a strong "ocean current cross-border breaking circle effect." This is not only a representative innovative experiment in Taiwan’s political communication in recent years, but also reflects the structural evolution of information offense and defense in the community era. As the ancient saying goes, "The wind starts from the grassroots." When national security issues enter the entertainment life of ordinary people, the message is no longer a one-way propaganda, but creates impact and reorganization among diverse social networks.

In the "two-stage communication theory" of communication science, messages are first filtered and translated by influential opinion leaders, and then influence the public. Lan Xinmei played a key role. When Shen Boyang revealed that Lan Xinmei's famous song "Love at First Sight" was the love song between him and his wife, the details of his life instantly became closer. Lan Xinmei then made an exception to follow Shen Boyang on Threads, becoming the political figure tracked by the platform. This public recognition has successfully opened up a new public interpretation structure, and Lan Xinmei's long-term promotion of local brands such as socks produced in Nantou has given the audience a profound cultural identity.

However, after Shen Boyang's trailer was released, he was quickly criticized and maliciously attacked by more than 18,000 overseas cyber army accounts. From the perspective of political psychology, this reflects the collective anxiety of authoritarian systems facing cross-border communication in democratic societies. In the digital media era, communication has evolved into a many-to-many ecosystem. As the "Tipping Point" theory reveals, when external suppression reaches a certain intensity, if the message has a sense of life, it will spread more quickly. Attempts by overseas cyber forces to contain the situation are counterproductive, stimulating the curiosity of ordinary people and creating a backlash effect of "the more the containment, the more the circle is broken."

Shen Boyang announced on social media before appearing on the show, but he was quickly attacked by more than 10,000 overseas cybercriminal accounts. (Extracted from Facebook)

In addition, this interaction also demonstrated the "two-way breaking of the circle" between culture, entertainment and political communication. Entertainment audiences who keep a distance from politics are beginning to understand national security; social audiences who are concerned about politics are also following the trend and focusing on Taiwan's traditional local industries. As the old saying goes, "We are in the same boat and help each other in times of adversity." The current democratic society needs a collective identity that transcends partisanship and returns to local values. Politicians use gentle words to speak directly to citizens, and cultural elites confidently promote local values, transforming public discussions into a venue that condenses Taiwan's spirit.

Looking at the "Ocean Current Cross-border Breaking Circle" incident, its essence is not only a successful example of social communication, but also a vivid portrayal of a democratic society resisting foreign information manipulation. Through the intermediary translation of entertainment media, the trust and empowerment of opinion leaders, and the resonance of local values ​​and culture, Taiwanese society has once again demonstrated its strong democratic resilience and cultural confidence. Only by continuing to deepen cross-sector trust connections can Taiwan's democratic light stand up in a complex and ever-changing environment.

(The author is freelance)