Search Result

Srl

Item

ID: 180462

Cyber Nationalism and Regime Support under Xi Jinping: the Effects of the 2018 Constitutional Revision / Han, Rongbin

Han, Rongbin	Journal Article
	0 Rating(s) & 0 Review(s)

Summary/Abstract

This article examines popular nationalism and regime support in the Xi era by evaluating news comments from a major overseas Chinese website on the 2018 constitutional amendments removing presidential term limits. It finds that the event was not only contested among overseas and domestic Chinese, but also has alienated many nationalists who previously supported the regime. Even the subsequent pro-regime discourse is less focused on support for Xi or the regime, and more about distrust of the West and dissidents. However, some citizens have become less critical toward the regime out of the concern of external threats. The findings confirm the Xi Jinping effect on nationalist regime support, and show how China’s international and domestic environments may activate nationalist sentiment differently.

Key Words

Xi Jinping ; Cyber Nationalism ; Regime Support

Links

'Full Text'

In Basket

Export

ID: 189973

Social media, fear, and support for state surveillance: the case of China’s social credit system / Zeng, Yu ; Wong, Stan Hok-wui

Wong, Stan Hok-wui	Journal Article
	0 Rating(s) & 0 Review(s)

Summary/Abstract

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.

Key Words

Fear ; Authoritarian Politics ; Social Media ; Social Credit System ; Regime Support ; Social Surveillance

In Basket

Export