Digital vigilantism is a rising trend worldwide where citizens use online media to expose or even cause shame to other individuals. Researcher Qian Huang (Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication) studied Chinese examples of digital vigilantism and its social impact. “Everyone could be involved and you don’t know who target you until it happens.”
How can desperately wanting to catch a train ruin your life? The key is doxing, which is revealing someone’s identity online often intending to shame this person. In an example that Huang studied, a video was uploaded of a Chinese woman who blocked the doors to catch the same train as her husband. “She made a scene and no one could reason with her. Another passenger posted a video that went viral. It came out that she was a head teacher at a school. In the end, she was fired and people kept chasing her long after”, explains the researcher.
‘Social death'
On Chinese social media this type of unrepairable reputation damage is often called a ‘social death’. “You are not physically dead, but you are dead to society”, she explains. This is a type of digital vigilantism with online exposure becoming a form of citizen-led justice. This is not just a Chinese phenomenon and the group of Daniel Troittier studies this in an international context. In the Netherlands exposing a female purse snatcher on the video site Dumpert caused a lot of traction after which the woman killed herself. So in this case a social death eventually had devastating consequences.
The term started to have a more serious connotation in China after a Chinese man was exposed by his girlfriend for raping her. He claimed to be innocent, but at the same time, he said that he is ‘socially dead’ because of the accusation. “The reputation damage can be caused by anyone in society”, explains Huang. Everyone could be involved, it could be your neighbor even. You don’t know who target you until it happens.”
Corona and slut shaming
Digital vigilantism can take many different forms and show similarities between countries. Her research shows that the relationship between the state and citizens can be complicated. During corona, local police stations in China would publish information, like the whereabouts, of people who tested positive. They would not disclose a name out of privacy reasons, but the details were so specific that anyone could figure out who it was. “This led to shaming, especially for women. A young lady went to work in to some bars and karaoke places. She was doxed online and people started slut shaming her.”
Another development affects mainly Chinese citizens who are not patriotic enough or say something critical about the government. Huang researched a case of a woman who studied in the United States and gave a commencement speech. “She basically trash-talked China a bit and said things about bad air quality and freedom of speech. A video ended up on Chinese social media and people started to dox and shame her. She had to delete all her social media accounts to avoid harassment”, says Huang
''One mistake can lead to traumatizing consequences and can be really out of proportion''
Hard to control
The researcher often gets asked whether digital vigilantism is good or bad. For Huang, that question can’t be answered simply, as it varies per case. For example, #Metoo is also a form of digital vigilantism: “Then it’s about holding people accountable. On the other hand, digital vigilantism can make people extremely cautious of their behavior and they internalize that fear. One mistake can lead to traumatizing consequences and can be really out of proportion. Once the information and shaming targeting someone are out in the internet, it becomes hard to control.”
Balance act
As a Chinese scholar, she also struggles with her online presence. “I’m very much aware of the traces I leave online”, she explains. Huang feels sometimes in a balancing act as she saw Chinese scholars got shamed for betraying the motherland but on the other hand, they can face criticism from western researchers for not being critical enough.
Huang: “I don’t want to betray my integrity and say what people want to hear. To either side, you are not good enough. Events on Chinese social media are often discussed in a stereotyping manner. The dynamics are much more complicated between the Chinese state and citizens. I want to bridge the gap and present my results in a more neutral and analytical way. I mainly want to understand the social impact of digital vigilantism.”
Defense
On Friday 28 October 2022 Qian Huang will defend her PhD dissertation ‘The Assemblage of Social Death: Mapping Digital Vigilantism in China’.
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