Understanding China's Social Credit System (SCS) through media representation, official discourse, institutional practice, and grassroots experience

My research investigates China's Social Credit System (SCS) from cultural, governance, and media perspective. Introduced by the Chinese State Council in 2014, the SCS aims to cultivate a trust-based, harmonious society through standardised credit evaluation and enhanced legal compliance, supported by China's digital infrastructure. By examining the state media's framing of the system, and the public's reactions to and experiences of locally implementation of the SCS, my research reveals the system's frictions, inconsistencies, and contestations in its design and practice, and foregrounds that the SCS is a complex, multi-actor ecosystem that is constantly challenged and reshaped by the interplay of China's central government, local governments, and the public.