Flattening Without Leveling: Visibility-Driven Flexible Re-Hierarchization in Government Digital Communication

Effective digital communication is a strategic imperative for government service delivery, yet the emerging information dissemination model emerging remains underexplored. Drawing on Chongqing’s digital-policing reform, this study develops an analytical framework centered on visibility-driven flexible re-hierarchization, based on interviews and observations. The analysis identifies three mechanisms: upward visibility and vertical bypass produce functional flattening without formal delayering; cross-boundary horizontal linkage dissolves departmental silos while preserving centralized coordination; and dual-mode switching shifts the information order between routine networked and mobilizational hierarchical communication. Digital technology does not flatten bureaucracy but endows it with an elastic capacity to switch between the two orders.