Richmond, Chinese regulators are in the process of concluding a two-month “spring clean” of the country's social media.
Launched on April 23, 2024 by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the latest Qinglang campaign (literally meaning “clean and bright”) aims to penalize Chinese social media influencers and internet celebrities who They are considered to flaunt wealth or deliberately display a luxurious life based on money to attract followers and traffic.
Its reach goes beyond the behavior of social media users on the mainland, and Taiwanese influencers are also feeling the pressure. China is far from alone in expressing official alarm over the perceived harms of social media.
On June 17, the US government signaled its desire to place warning labels on platforms such as TikTok, X and Instagram. But while the United States' efforts are framed in protecting the mental health of users, it is the well-being of Chinese society that is the focus of Beijing's repression, and that country's regulators go beyond mere warnings.
Following the directive of the Cyberspace Administration of China, several Chinese social media platforms blocked the accounts of influencers such as Wang Hongquanxing, who earned the nickname “China's Kim Kardashian.” Wang appears to have been censored for flaunting his clothes extravagant and other luxury items. And he is not alone.
Fellow influencer Bo Gongzi received similar treatment for showing off Porsche cars, Hermes bags and other rare and expensive accessories. And Baoyu Jiajie disappeared from Chinese social media platforms after flaunting her lavish cuisine and his lavish properties.
Violation of online expression? Official Chinese media defended the crackdown as a measure against the cult of money and what Beijing describes as “toxic trafficking” – or attracting fans online in order to make money.
Analysts such as Yao-Yuan Yeh, a Taiwanese professor of political science at St. Thomas University, have argued that the cancellation of influencers who flaunt wealth is not motivated simply by a desire to protect public morals.
Rather, it serves the purpose of mitigating the Chinese public's growing sense of relative economic deprivation, exacerbated by China's current slowdown. While Ye's point is valid, China has been punishing influential people who flaunt their wealth for a long time, long before concerns began to arise about the state of the country's economy. He reflects broader fears in Beijing that social media could be used to promote views he considers subversive.
It accelerated in 2014 with the cancellation of Guo Meimei.
Guo is an internet celebrity known for his photographs depicting a lavish lifestyle, which includes driving a Mercedes and owning a large mansion. The crackdown on the display of wealth comes amid a broader crackdown on what Beijing considers behaviors morally problematic, such as watching pornography, gambling, taking drugs, vulgar livestreaming, and showing disdain for low-income citizens.
The official campaign has obtained broad support among a generally conservative public; It is not simply about being forced from above.
Chinese social conservatism in this sense relies on a centuries-old preference for equal distribution of wealth, reflected in the Confucian dictum that political leaders “should not worry about scarcity, but rather unequal distribution.” And many surveys show that the Chinese authoritarian government enjoys strong public support and trust.
As MIT political scientist Lily Tsai has argued, the Chinese people's expressed support for their authoritarian government is not simply due to fear of political retaliation or satisfaction with long-term economic achievements.
Rather, the Chinese Communist Party is also credited with its ability to satisfy the public's strong desire for retributive justice. That is, the Chinese people generally support their government for its use of punishments against those who have entered in conflict with the moral values shared by both leaders and ordinary people, even if that restricts certain personal freedoms.
Taiwanese influencers
This public support for measures that crack down on social media acts deemed contrary to Chinese values also serves as a political tool to reinforce the Chinese Communist Party's worldview. As experts on Chinese cultural policy, we have observed how, in particular, China is putting pressure on Taiwanese social media influencers to echo and support its campaign against ostentatious displays of wealth online.
More broadly, China is leveraging social media to foster nationalist support and promote its agenda for the reunification of island democracy with mainland China.
The Chinese government has tightened the management of cyberspace by directly or indirectly pressuring celebrities and influencers to publicly support pro-government values and policies. This takes the form of a pressure campaign against the new Taiwanese president, Lai Ching-te, who was elected in January despite concerns among some Taiwanese voters about his pro-independence views.
On May 20, Lai emphasized in his presidential inaugural address that “the Republic of China (Taiwan's official name) and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other,” comments taken as an unapologetic insistence on Taiwan's independence.
China Central Television, an official media outlet in China, published a post on its social media account warning the Lai administration that “Taiwan independence was, is and will never be possible. China will finally achieve complete reunification.”Many Taiwanese entertainment celebrities, who mainly operate in the mainland, shared the CCTV post with their followers to show their support for China's reunification with Taiwan.
CCTV, in turn, reposted its messages, praising the “patriotic” Taiwanese celebrities. This indirectly pressured other Taiwanese celebrities to publicly declare their stance on reunification.
Recent research shows that, on average, Taiwanese celebrities repost official messages less frequently than mainland and Hong Kong celebrities. However, frequent political signals from celebrities on Chinese social media suggest a growing politicization of popular culture.An online army
Both the crackdown on online displays of wealth and the pressure on Taiwanese influencers reflect Beijing's recognition of the power of social media.
In 2022, China has the largest number of Internet and social media users: around 1.02 billion, according to the latest statistics. Chinese people rely on various social media platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, Xiaohongshu and Douyin for news and information, something President Xi Jinping, who came to power in 2012, is well aware of. The latest “spring cleaning” ” on Chinese social media is not the first to be carried out under Xi and is unlikely to be the last. Authorities in Beijing know that, if strictly regulated, social media can be used to amplify their message; but if left unchecked, it could lead to an increasingly subversive and chaotic cyberspace. (The conversation) GRS
GRS
Launched on April 23, 2024 by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the latest Qinglang campaign (literally meaning “clean and bright”) aims to penalize Chinese social media influencers and internet celebrities who They are considered to flaunt wealth or deliberately display a luxurious life based on money to attract followers and traffic.
Its reach goes beyond the behavior of social media users on the mainland, and Taiwanese influencers are also feeling the pressure. China is far from alone in expressing official alarm over the perceived harms of social media.
On June 17, the US government signaled its desire to place warning labels on platforms such as TikTok, X and Instagram. But while the United States' efforts are framed in protecting the mental health of users, it is the well-being of Chinese society that is the focus of Beijing's repression, and that country's regulators go beyond mere warnings.
Following the directive of the Cyberspace Administration of China, several Chinese social media platforms blocked the accounts of influencers such as Wang Hongquanxing, who earned the nickname “China's Kim Kardashian.” Wang appears to have been censored for flaunting his clothes extravagant and other luxury items. And he is not alone.
Fellow influencer Bo Gongzi received similar treatment for showing off Porsche cars, Hermes bags and other rare and expensive accessories. And Baoyu Jiajie disappeared from Chinese social media platforms after flaunting her lavish cuisine and his lavish properties.
Violation of online expression? Official Chinese media defended the crackdown as a measure against the cult of money and what Beijing describes as “toxic trafficking” – or attracting fans online in order to make money.
Analysts such as Yao-Yuan Yeh, a Taiwanese professor of political science at St. Thomas University, have argued that the cancellation of influencers who flaunt wealth is not motivated simply by a desire to protect public morals.
Rather, it serves the purpose of mitigating the Chinese public's growing sense of relative economic deprivation, exacerbated by China's current slowdown. While Ye's point is valid, China has been punishing influential people who flaunt their wealth for a long time, long before concerns began to arise about the state of the country's economy. He reflects broader fears in Beijing that social media could be used to promote views he considers subversive.
It accelerated in 2014 with the cancellation of Guo Meimei.
Guo is an internet celebrity known for his photographs depicting a lavish lifestyle, which includes driving a Mercedes and owning a large mansion. The crackdown on the display of wealth comes amid a broader crackdown on what Beijing considers behaviors morally problematic, such as watching pornography, gambling, taking drugs, vulgar livestreaming, and showing disdain for low-income citizens.
The official campaign has obtained broad support among a generally conservative public; It is not simply about being forced from above.
Chinese social conservatism in this sense relies on a centuries-old preference for equal distribution of wealth, reflected in the Confucian dictum that political leaders “should not worry about scarcity, but rather unequal distribution.” And many surveys show that the Chinese authoritarian government enjoys strong public support and trust.
As MIT political scientist Lily Tsai has argued, the Chinese people's expressed support for their authoritarian government is not simply due to fear of political retaliation or satisfaction with long-term economic achievements.
Rather, the Chinese Communist Party is also credited with its ability to satisfy the public's strong desire for retributive justice. That is, the Chinese people generally support their government for its use of punishments against those who have entered in conflict with the moral values shared by both leaders and ordinary people, even if that restricts certain personal freedoms.
Taiwanese influencers
This public support for measures that crack down on social media acts deemed contrary to Chinese values also serves as a political tool to reinforce the Chinese Communist Party's worldview. As experts on Chinese cultural policy, we have observed how, in particular, China is putting pressure on Taiwanese social media influencers to echo and support its campaign against ostentatious displays of wealth online.
More broadly, China is leveraging social media to foster nationalist support and promote its agenda for the reunification of island democracy with mainland China.
The Chinese government has tightened the management of cyberspace by directly or indirectly pressuring celebrities and influencers to publicly support pro-government values and policies. This takes the form of a pressure campaign against the new Taiwanese president, Lai Ching-te, who was elected in January despite concerns among some Taiwanese voters about his pro-independence views.
On May 20, Lai emphasized in his presidential inaugural address that “the Republic of China (Taiwan's official name) and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other,” comments taken as an unapologetic insistence on Taiwan's independence.
China Central Television, an official media outlet in China, published a post on its social media account warning the Lai administration that “Taiwan independence was, is and will never be possible. China will finally achieve complete reunification.”Many Taiwanese entertainment celebrities, who mainly operate in the mainland, shared the CCTV post with their followers to show their support for China's reunification with Taiwan.
CCTV, in turn, reposted its messages, praising the “patriotic” Taiwanese celebrities. This indirectly pressured other Taiwanese celebrities to publicly declare their stance on reunification.
Recent research shows that, on average, Taiwanese celebrities repost official messages less frequently than mainland and Hong Kong celebrities. However, frequent political signals from celebrities on Chinese social media suggest a growing politicization of popular culture.An online army
Both the crackdown on online displays of wealth and the pressure on Taiwanese influencers reflect Beijing's recognition of the power of social media.
In 2022, China has the largest number of Internet and social media users: around 1.02 billion, according to the latest statistics. Chinese people rely on various social media platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, Xiaohongshu and Douyin for news and information, something President Xi Jinping, who came to power in 2012, is well aware of. The latest “spring cleaning” ” on Chinese social media is not the first to be carried out under Xi and is unlikely to be the last. Authorities in Beijing know that, if strictly regulated, social media can be used to amplify their message; but if left unchecked, it could lead to an increasingly subversive and chaotic cyberspace. (The conversation) GRS
GRS
