Date of Award
8-22-2025
Date Published
September 2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Media Studies
Advisor(s)
Makana Chock
Second Advisor
Dennis Kinsey
Keywords
FoMO;Social Comparison;Social Media;Social Surveillance
Subject Categories
Communication | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
This study examines why Chinese Generation Z surveil non-intimate acquaintances on social media. Drawing on surveillance theory, social comparison orientation, fear of missing out (FoMO), communication privacy management, and platform affordances, this study proposes a "social comparison orientation → FoMO → surveillance" model. The study employed a sequential mixed methodology. In the first phase, 129 respondents aged 18 to 28 completed a survey validating these pathways. In the second phase, 21 high-monitoring participants were interviewed. The results indicate that social comparison, influenced by the unique "social clock" in Chinese society and the information exposure of online spaces like panopticon, can lead to and exacerbate FoMO. Furthermore, FoMO can also drive people's original curiosity and lead to social snooping. In this process, China's Generation Z is reshaping the privacy boundaries of social media, transforming a single act of social snooping into a continuous social surveillance behavior. Furthermore, the affordances of social media, such as searchability and algorithmic recommendations, create space for surveillance, reduce its costs, and improve social surveillance behavior. This study proposes a non-intimate social surveillance model that integrates cultural, emotional, and technological dimensions, enriching the theoretical understanding of surveillance behavior in non-intimate relationships in an online environment and the theoretical framework of social surveillance.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Wang, Linlin, "ARE YOU WATCHING PEOPLE VIA SOCIAL MEDIA?" (2025). Theses - ALL. 981.
https://surface.syr.edu/thesis/981
