The Impact of Digitalization on ‘Double-Edged Sword’ in China

Abstract

This chapter aims to reinterpret Hirschman’s theory of loyalty by shifting the focus from citizens’ creativity to the mechanisms through which governing authorities manufacture and sustain loyalty among their followers. It highlights Hirschman’s insight that severe initiation and high sacrifice can deepen self-deception and commitment, a dynamic that helps explain why revolutions often turn inward and ‘devour their own children’. Applying this logic to Chinese Communism 2.0, this chapter considers how a digital authoritarian regime must secure the allegiance of high-tech engineers and digital experts, raising the provocative question of whether the regime’s stability would be threatened if it could no longer effectively monitor their loyalty.