Adolescents' Long-Term Identity Tension After Politicized Cyber Shaming: Peer Support and Behavioural Visibility Management As Joint Conditions.

INTRODUCTION

Politicized cyber shaming recodes adolescents' cultural interests as evidence of political loyalty or moral belonging. This study examines how such shaming is associated with longer-term identity tension in adolescence, focusing on public expression, peer belonging, and self-evaluation after politicized online controversy.

METHODS

Data were collected in China in 2023 using an event-anchored retrospective mixed-methods design. The study combines front-end data from Baidu Tieba, a Chinese topic-based online forum, during the 2012 Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute and the 2016 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) controversy, with a retrospective survey of 84 participants exposed as adolescents and timeline interviews with 18 participants. At event exposure, participants were 14-18 years old (M = 16.06, SD = 1.40), and 63.1% were women.

RESULTS

The controversy windows showed higher semantic hostility and first-screen nationalist dominance than historical baselines. Adaptation was organised into limited expression, circle contraction, and public silence. Public silence showed the highest long-term identity tension and perceived negative impact, circle contraction was intermediate, and limited expression was lowest. Peer support was associated with lower identity tension overall, behavioural visibility management with higher identity tension, and their interaction indicated joint association with adaptation.

CONCLUSIONS

Politicized cyber shaming should be understood as an identity-relevant social-evaluative experience in adolescence. Support may reduce isolation, but it does not simply cancel harm when continued participation requires sustained visibility management.