ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on a different type of public spaces, the digital communication sphere in China, and pays special attention to the outcome, and the audiences, of securitization: what is the consequence of state’s control of the media on the issues related to terrorism in terms of the Chinese netizens’ opinions on terrorism? How do the Chinese netizens negotiate the global discourse of the war on terror? Drawing on the discourse analysis of netizens’ opinions on terrorism, this chapter seeks to explore the localization of the globalized fear of terrorism in China’s digital sphere. The views of Chinese netizens on the ‘war on terror’ discourse are particularly relevant to understanding two interrelated and underresearched phenomena: the Chinese state’s management of public opinion and the localized, digitally facilitated responses to both domestic and global influences on terrorism.
