Reviving the “Yellow Peril” Digitally: Anti-Asian Hate on Twitter During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors

  • Fangjing Tu Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison 821 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706.
  • Shanshan Jiang University of California, Berkeley
  • Xue Gong Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis University of Wisconsin-Madison 1000 Bascom Mall Madison, Wisconsin 53706

Keywords:

anti-Asian racism, social media, public opinion, COVID-19, elite cues, unemployment

Abstract

Racist sentiments against Asian, specifically Chinese, communities have risen alongside the COVID-19 pandemic. Combining Twitter data, employment data, and COVID-19 case data, this study uses interrupted time series analysis and traditional time series analysis to investigate how the revival of anti-Asian sentiments on Twitter has been facilitated by the combination of elite discourse on social media, economic slowdown, and public health crises. Results suggest that tweets about the “Chinese virus” from former president Trump serve as elite cues that positively and significantly impact the spread of anti-Asian hate on Twitter. This correlation is unidirectional. In addition, newly confirmed COVID-19 cases and unemployment rates are also positively correlated with the increase in anti-Asian hate tweets. The results draw attention to how the historical racialization of Asian populations has been extended to the social media arena during the public health crisis.

Author Biographies

Fangjing Tu, Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison 821 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706.

Fangjing Tu holds a Ph.D. degree in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research centers on how to cultivate informed and participatory citizens in the current media environment.Phone number: 512-517-6936 

Shanshan Jiang, University of California, Berkeley

Shanshan Jiang holds a PhD degree in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research examines the political economy of global higher education and the reconstruction of class, race and spatial relations through education mobility. Her work has been published at Comparative Education Review and British Journal of Sociology of Education. Shanshan Jiang received a B.A. in English Language and Literature from University of International Relations and a M.A degree in Social Sciences and Comparative Education from University of California, Los Angeles. Phone number: 973-610-3557

Xue Gong, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis University of Wisconsin-Madison 1000 Bascom Mall Madison, Wisconsin 53706

Xue Gong is PhD student in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She obtained her MPP from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, an MA in Higher Education from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Bachelors in both Economics and International Relations from Peking University. In addition to evaluating inclusivity professional development, Ms. Gong’s research examines interventions aimed at alleviating STEM disparities, including collegiate mentoring programs, summer learning loss programs, tracking programs, parental involvement, and peer effects.Phone number: 310-990-4276

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Published

2024-02-27

Issue

Vol. 18 (2024)

Section

Articles

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