Veteran musician Luo Dayou recently accepted an exclusive interview with media personality Tang Xianglong, criticizing the Democratic Progressive Party government and questioning whether Tsai Ing-wen, Xiao Meiqin and Chen Ju would consider the next generation because they have no children, triggering a controversy over gender equality. In this regard, media person Wu Jingyi analyzed that in just 48 hours, the incident spread from Chinese official media reports to Taiwanese social platforms, and former President Tsai Ing-wen’s response post accumulated approximately 670,000 likes on Facebook and Threads. She also pointed out that there were a large number of similar negative comments on relevant posts, questioning whether there was coordinated operation behind them, and calling for attention to the national security risks of cross-border information manipulation.
Wu Jingyi posted on Facebook that the public opinion storm can be divided into three stages. First, Chinese state media quickly reported Luo Dayou’s political criticism. She pointed out that after Luo Dayou accepted an exclusive interview on November 10, China's "China News Service" published relevant news at 9:55 that night. The next day, CCTV, Hu Xijin, and "China Youth Daily" successively reported or forwarded the incident, making the incident continue to attract attention.
Wu Jingyi believes that Chinese state media reports mainly focused on Luo Dayou's criticism of the Democratic Progressive Party government, and less touched on the controversy caused by his remarks on marriage and childbearing in Taiwan. She also mentioned that the "People's Daily" overseas Facebook account used "Taiwan Province" to describe the incident, questioning the Chinese media's selective presentation of content to incorporate Taiwan's internal disputes into China's official political narrative.
The second stage is the response of Taiwanese social platforms. Wu Jingyi pointed out that Taipei 101 Chairman Jia Yongjie was the first to express her views from the perspective of women's autonomy and opposed using whether or not to have children to measure a person's concern for the next generation. Tsai Ing-wen then quoted the classic song "Childhood" composed by Luo Dayou, saying that although she has no children, she still tries her best to protect every child in Taiwan, extending the discussion to public responsibility and diverse values.
Citing social data, Wu Jingyi said that as of the early morning of the 12th, Tsai Ing-wen’s related posts had accumulated approximately 313,000 likes on Facebook, and had exceeded 360,000 likes on Threads. The two platforms had a total of approximately 670,000 likes. She believes that although Tsai Ing-wen has resigned from office, she can still arouse widespread resonance through her social posts, reflecting her long-term accumulated public image and recognition from supporters. However, the number of likes is an indicator of social interaction and cannot be directly regarded as overall public opinion or political support.
Wu Jingyi then pointed out that on the evening of the 11th, a large number of negative comments appeared below the posts of Tsai Ing-wen and Jia Yongjie. Jia Yongjie also took a screenshot and pointed out that some accounts use highly similar text content. Wu Jingyi believes that such repeated messages deserve further examination, and the possibility of organized mobilization or coordinated operation cannot be ruled out.
However, similar message content is not enough to directly prove that the account belongs to the cyber army, nor can it be concluded that there is overseas command. Wu Jingyi proposed two directions worthy of investigation, including coordinated operations by foreign forces that may be involved, and concentrated mobilization of supporters of different political stances within Taiwan; whether there is a connection between the two still needs to be further clarified through account behavior, release time and other evidence.
Wu Jingyi bluntly said that the Luo Dayou incident reflected the remarks of politicians that may spread rapidly through different media and social platforms, and may also form completely different interpretations due to different reporting angles. She is worried that if cross-border information operations are involved, it may affect the public discussion environment in Taiwan, and believes that the government should face up to the relevant risks.
