Threat Perception, Otherness and Hate Speech in China’s Cyberspace
Tianru Guan, Xiaotong Chen · Journal of Contemporary China · 2025
This study conducts a focused examination of hate speech in China’s digital sphere, investigating four primary types of targeted narratives. Leveraging theoretical constructs from intergroup threat theory and employing critical discourse analysis guided by topic modeling, it posits that such hateful narratives articulate perceived threats against distinct political, economic, or cultural outgroups, with the specific characteristics and origins of these threats varying according to the targeted entities. Specifically, the analysis elucidates that animosity towards the Japanese is mainly characterized as a realistic threat, accentuated by geopolitics-induced confrontation and hostility. Hate speech aimed at the LGBT community symbolizes a symbolic threat, stemming from profound discrepancies in societal norms and values. Discriminatory rhetoric against rural residents is depicted as embodying a negative stereotype threat, largely indicative of class-based segregation and moral exclusivity. Moreover, derogatory expressions towards foreigners in China are identified as a group esteem threat, mirroring a nationality-centric otherness and a discontent with their perceived preferential treatment. Implications for understanding the civic potential of digital politics in China are discussed.