Social media in the scoring society: An empirical investigation of the implications of the 2014-2020 Social Credit System for social media in China

Ma, Wen 2021. Social media in the scoring society: An empirical investigation of the implications of the 2014-2020 Social Credit System for social media in China. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

The Social Credit System (SCS) in China is a conspicuous example of a citizen scoring system that aims to assess and rate the “trustworthiness” (Chengxin) of Chinese citizens and allocate resources and punishments accordingly. An immense “Government+Market” data assemblage is being constructed to fulfil this objective, among which Internet and social media companies are prominent data providers. Chinese social media has transformed into a multifaceted ecosystem that encompasses social networking, participation, entertainment, shopping and payment, penetrating into the lives of more than 800 million users. During the interaction with social media, user behaviours and many aspects of social life are datafied into Big Social Data, which, in the context of the SCS, will be collected and user for governance purposes and affect their lives in a profounder way. This thesis investigates the SCS’s impact on social media uses and explores the repercussions for the future of Chinese social media and its opportunities and affordances. Drawing upon 417 online surveys and 47 interviews, this study finds that the SCS threatens the participatory and networking affordances of social media and its democratic potentials. The pragmatic goal of nursing SCS scores drives users to self-discipline and self-censor online content, monitor and refine their networks, and become more cautious during online shopping. The SCS’s impact on user generated content may be the strongest, whereas online shopping may be less affected. Subjects’ internalisation of the benefits and necessity of the SCS and the consequent tendency to adjust their behaviours correspond to the self-governance dimension of governmentality. Online agency will probably be restricted by the SCS, and the empowering and performative digital citizenship may be limited. This study also finds a significant lack of knowledge about the SCS, mixed attitudes of support, scepticism and unease, and divided stances among users regarding various aspects of social media uses.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Journalism, Media and Culture
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	27 January 2022
Last Modified:	26 Jan 2023 02:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/146993

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