Unveiling the Status and Risk Factors of Cyber Violence on Chinese Social Media: A WiseNews Database Study

Abstract

Cyber violence (CV) incidents in China have been increasing in recent years, raising concerns for national governance. To better understand the current status and causes of CV in the Chinese social media landscape, this study used the WiseNews database to analyze 86 typical incidents of CV occurring from 2018 through 2023. It found that the number of these incidents has increased annually, with netizens mostly targeting women and the general public. These incidents, which commonly occur on Weibo and short video platforms, involve verbal abuse, insults, rumors, and slander. CV is typically triggered by online situations, and more than 60% of these incidents do not have recorded resolutions. There were significant correlations between these incidents and four key variables: the online environment, individual value conflicts, the real-world environment, and weaponization of technology. Conflicts in values or prejudice are often strongly correlated with verbal abuse, while the online environment is prone to rumors and slander. Offline conflicts may escalate to human flesh searches and offline attacks. The study provides empirical evidence of CV in a non-Western context, with a focus on perspectives that are rarely considered in discussions of CV incidents. It also improves our understanding of the prevalence and underlying causes of CV.