Theoretical Underpinnings

This chapter lays the theoretical groundwork for analyzing the social construction and diffusion of GMO risk narratives on social media. It systematically synthesizes four interconnected strands of scholarship that shape the book’s analytical framework. First, it reviews research on risk perception, tracing its development from psychometric approaches centered on individual cognition to cultural theories that highlight how worldviews shape multidimensional understandings of risk. Second, it engages with theories of collective action and risk society, emphasizing how China’s agricultural modernization has generated new forms of risk awareness. Third, it examines the shift from traditional collective action to connective action in digital environments, underscoring how social media enables individualized yet coordinated participation. Finally, it considers literature on networked public spheres and online engagement, with particular attention to two dimensions: collaborative content production through networked framing practices, and information diffusion through sharing behaviors. By integrating these perspectives, the chapter equips readers with conceptual tools to analyze how diverse actors construct and circulate GMO risk discourses within China’s distinctive technological, political, and socio-cultural context. The framework developed here directly informs the empirical analyses of the subsequent chapters.