This study investigates Malaysian Chinese folk beliefs on Facebook using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling. Analyzing 4012 Facebook text posts, four main themes emerged: 'Practitioners Worship', 'Temple Activities', 'Deity Legends', and 'Merchandise about Deity Statues'. Integrating social construction and media ecology theories, the study explores the roles of various constructors (practitioners, temples, media, merchants) and identifies characteristics of these beliefs on social media, including utilitarianism, regional diversity, commercialization, and a strong Taoist influence. The findings highlight social media's role in constructing and practicing folk beliefs.

Ning Hu, Kee Chye Ho, Pik Shy Fan