Online environmental complaints reshape governance priorities within private digital platforms

This study investigates how online public complaints within private digital platforms shape governance priorities in China. It addresses a critical gap in understanding the substantive impact of public participation within e-government systems that are visible only to the reporter and administrators, rather than being accessible to the broader public. We compile a novel dataset combining 153,884 environmental complaints from the Green Hotline (2015–2023) with 3987 municipal government work reports, employing unsupervised machine learning and fixed-effects regression analysis. The findings reveal that public complaints significantly heighten governmental attention to environmental issues, challenging the assumption that restricted transparency limits effective engagement. Furthermore, increased complaint activity generates synergistic spillover effects, amplifying governmental focus on tourism, private enterprise, high-tech industries, and cultural development. However, high complaint volumes may divert attention from economic and social programs, revealing trade-offs inherent in private platform governance. These results highlight the transformative potential of private digital participation, even within constrained institutional environments.