| ID | 189973 |
| Title Proper | Social media, fear, and support for state surveillance |
| Other Title Information | the case of China’s social credit system |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Wong, Stan Hok-wui ; Zeng, Yu ; Yu Zeng and Stan Hok-wui Wong |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Even in authoritarian regimes that enforce vigorous information controls, netizens are still able to access fairly diverse – sometimes even sensitive – information from social media than from traditional media. We argue that this ‘breathing space’ in social media may have an indirect positive effect on regime stability via a subtle emotional channel; exposure to news on social media heightens one’s generalized fear, which in turn increases one’s demand for social controls by the state. We test our argument using an original survey that evaluates public support for China’s social credit system. We find that the support for this seemingly all-encompassing surveillance system is positively correlated with one’s generalized fear, while one’s generalized fear is positively correlated with one’s exposure to news on WeChat, the most popular social media platform in China. |
| `In' analytical Note | China Information Vol. 37, No.1; Mar 2023: p. 51-74 |
| Journal Source | China Information 2023-04 37, 1 |
| Key Words | Fear ; Authoritarian Politics ; Social Media ; Social Credit System ; Regime Support ; Social Surveillance |