Download pdf
Research on the Formation Mechanism of Reversed News Based on the Social Combustion Theory
- 1 Hebei University
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
With the rapid rise of the Internet and new media, reversed online public opinion has become increasingly common, challenging public cognition and the principle of news authenticity. From the perspective of social combustion theory, this paper explores the mechanisms behind such reversals. Reversed public opinion resembles a "combustion" process: "combustible materials" are factors causing social instability, "accelerants" include social media platforms and public emotions, and the "ignition temperature" represents sudden impactful events. Once public emotions reach a tipping point, reversed news emerges rapidly. Self-media often rush to publish unverified information in pursuit of traffic, becoming a key source of reversals. Journalists lacking professional ethics and objectivity further intensify the phenomenon. The public, influenced by cognitive biases and emotional triggers, inadvertently amplifies these reversals during dissemination. To reduce the societal harm of reversed news, mainstream media should guide public opinion by restoring facts through authoritative reporting. Journalists must adhere to ethical principles of objectivity and truth, while the audience should enhance media literacy, approach news critically, and avoid spreading unverified information. Collaborative efforts are essential to fostering a healthy and orderly media environment where online public opinion serves societal development
Keywords
Reversed News, Social Combustion Theory, Mechanism, Online Public Opinion, Public Opinion Heat
[1]. Huang, H. (2015). Causes and regulations of "reverse news" in public opinion. Youth Journalist, (09), 22-23. https://doi.org/10.15997/j.cnki.qnjz.2015.09.019
[2]. Sun, J. (2022). Research on the occurrence mechanism and communication impact of "reverse news" in new media. Journalism Lover, (01), 75-77. https://doi.org/10.16017/j.cnki.xwahz.2022.01.003
[3]. Wang, J., & Zhou, W. (2016). Reverse news phenomenon in the era of new media from the perspective of journalism professionalism. Journalists' Cradle, (12), 10-12.
[4]. Huang, C., & Wang, D. (2015). Causes and countermeasures of reversed news: An analysis from the perspective of media literacy. News & Writing, (10), 25-28.
[5]. Yu, J. (2022). Anomie of media ethics under the background of media integration: A case study of reverse news. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2022.050307
[6]. Shen, Y. (2019). Reanalysis of the causes of reverse news. In Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Education, Language, Art and Inter-cultural Communication (ICELAIC 2019) (Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, Vol. 378, pp. 814-817). Sichuan University.
[7]. Li, M., & Wang, J. (2023). Dissemination paths of high heat reversed news and the presentation of "competitive truths": A qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of 30 reversed news cases. Contemporary Communication, (02), 23-28.
[8]. Zeng, X., & Dai, J. (2020). Exploration of the mechanism of reversed news and public opinion generation in the context of new media: A QCA study based on typical reversed news events from 2014 to 2020. Social Science, (07), 168-184. https://doi.org/10.13644/j.cnki.cn31-1112.2020.07.018
[9]. Zhang, X. (2021). Research on the impact of personal exposure to reversed news on social trust. (Doctoral dissertation, South China University of Technology).
[10]. Lu, X. (2016). Narrative framework and communication impact of reversed news. Journalist, (10), 41-49. https://doi.org/10.16057/j.cnki.31-1171/g2.2016.10.040
[11]. Zhou, W. (2018). Study on “reversal news” in the context of new media. Social Science Studies, (1).
[12]. Bai, Z. (2022). Governance of online public opinion risks in the new media era: An analysis based on social combustion theory. Henan Social Sciences, (04), 101-109.
[13]. Peng, G., & Cheng, X. (2023). Mechanism of public opinion heat generation for reversed news based on social combustion theory. Information Science, (01), 80-85+109. https://doi.org/10.13833/j.issn.1007-7634.2023.01.009
[14]. Zhang, J., & Chen, Q. (2012). Research on the occurrence of online mass incidents from the perspective of social combustion theory. E-Government, (07), 63-67. https://doi.org/10.16582/j.cnki.dzzw.2012.07.003
[15]. Hu, Y., Zhou, K., & Lei, Y. (2015). Study on the resolution of land disputes and risk warning mechanism during urbanization: A perspective from social combustion theory. Research of Agricultural Modernization, (06), 968-972. https://doi.org/10.13872/j.1000-0275.2015.0101
[16]. Zhang, K., & Dai, J. (2023). Analysis and research on the evolution of public opinion emotion based on the theory of social combustion. Atlantis Press International BV.
[17]. Liu, X. (2021). A study of campus crisis from the perspective of social combustion theory.
[18]. Yin, J., & Lin, C. (2022). Exploring the transmission mechanism of university students' emotions in online public opinion based on social combustion theory. Applied & Educational Psychology, (1).
[19]. Xu, K., et al. (2021). Sustainable transformation of resettled communities for landless peasants: Generation logic of spatial conflicts. Land, 10(11), 1171.
[20]. [Wu, Y. (2021). Using stereotype theory to explore the reverse news under the Chinese doctor-patient conflict issues.
Cite this article
Guo,Y. (2025). Research on the Formation Mechanism of Reversed News Based on the Social Combustion Theory. Communications in Humanities Research,65,41-49.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
Disclaimer/Publisher's Note
The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.
About volume
Volume title: Proceedings of 3rd International Conference on Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies
© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who
publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this
series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published
version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial
publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and
during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See
Open access policy for details).