Public opinions are a social and political attitude people have during the emergence, development, and change of public opinion variable items. In the actual work, public opinion messengers must understand four connotations on the concept of public opinions. They include: 1. Public opinions are collectively reflection of the will of the people. In other words, the will of the people is the origin that forms public opinions - without the will of the people, without public opinions. 2. The will of the people that public opinions reflect is “opinions” that can generate influence on decision-making behaviors of decision-makers, but not all “opinions”. 3. Public opinion variable items are the foundation for the emergence of public opinions. Studying and analyzing public opinions require in-depth research and analysis on disciplines of emergence, development and change of public opinion variable items. 4. The range of public opinions plays a big role of influencing the public opinion communication and decision-makers’ decision-making behaviors. 

 

It is noteworthy here that the “people’s social and political attitude” in the definition of public opinions refers to views, opinions and attitudes people have on decision-makers and their political values. This social and political attitude reflects an appeal for and expression to demands for their own interests, and includes views, opinions and attitudes people have on social affairs. In a word, “people’s social and political attitude” is a combination of appeal and will of people to require decision-makers to continuously improve conditions of the people. 

 

Online public opinions are social public opinions on the Internet, as well as direct reflection of social public opinions. Traditional social public opinions originate among the people, and exist in people’s thoughts and daily discussions, with thoughts hard to capture, and daily discussions disappearing soon. In such cases, public opinions can be only obtained through means such as open and secret social investigations and opinion surveys, which has low efficiency, inadequate and inappropriate samples, and high costs. With development of Internet, people tend to express their own opinions with information means, and online public opinions can be easily captured through various technological means such as automatic Internet extraction, featuring high efficiency and information trueness, and all-around coverage. 

 

Compared with traditional communication media such as newspaper, wireless radio and TV, online media has comprehensive characteristics like low threshold, large-scale information, rapid information release and communication, huge participation groups, and strong real-time interactions, etc. There is no clear boundary for among information providers, communicators, and readers, due to low cost in online information release. Information network has become a “virtual society”, and it has obvious characteristics of social groups. Meanwhile, interactions between the “virtual society” and the real society are increasing remarkable. Information on the Internet includes stands and views of netizens on various social phenomena and various hot issues, with topics involving various sectors such as politics, economy, military, entertainment, PE, healthcare, technology, and personal life, etc. Internet public opinions reflect various social public opinion status and development trend in a most direct and fastest way, and it has become a social public opinion barometer in major fields including politics, economy and culture, which has drawn high attention from the country and the government. In the meantime, we should clearly know that natures of the Internet will cause a series of negative influences on free Internet public opinions. Some netizens may spread rumors, expose privacy, and even make extreme and irrational abuses and personal attacks on the Internet. Sometimes, hostile forces in the West also increasingly launch “peaceful evolution” plot on the Internet. Therefore, Internet public opinions have become a key factor to influence social sustainable development and maintain social harmony and stability. Internet, the emerging media, is facing serious tasks and severe challenges on how to increase capability of public opinion information analysis in the new situation, to master social public opinion status timely and accurately, and to actively guide social public opinions.