Framing Medical Controversies: Discussion on TCM and Western Medicine on Chinese Social Media

This study examines discussions of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western medicine on Weibo, focusing on how influencers with different stances construct, express, and disseminate medical issues. Drawing on framing theory and narrative analysis, it explores how pro-TCM and pro-Western medicine influencers frame medical topics, attribute responsibility, and employ emotional expressions. Using computational content analysis combined with qualitative interpretation, the study compares framing strategies, narrative types, and emotional expression between deferent groups. Findings show that Western medicine–oriented influencers dominate the discourse, emphasizing effectiveness, scientific legitimacy, and policy governance. In contrast, TCM-oriented influencers rely on culturally rooted and value-based framing, highlighting cultural ideology. These findings indicate that online discussions about TCM and Western medicine mirror their underlying epistemologies and value systems. Social media has become a public sphere where scientific and cultural tensions are negotiated and emotionally expressed. Emotion functions as a discursive resource that challenges the dominance of mainstream biomedical discourse and reshapes the dynamics of health communication. This study contributes to understanding how digital platforms influence public discourse on medical pluralism and offers insights for developing culturally sensitive communication strategies that integrate TCM and Western medicine in the contemporary health communication landscape.