China Cracks Down On Toxic Fan Culture Following The Recent Spate Of Celebrity Scandals
A list of restrictions has been introduced to make sure everyone behaves.
The seemingly never-ending spate of scandals involving celebs in China — from Zheng Shuang to Kris Wu, Zhang Zhehan to Vicki Zhao — certainly hasn’t escaped the attention of the government, who have taken steps to address what they believe to be the root of the problem.
Previously, the Cyberspace Administration of China aka the country’s central internet regulator introduced a list of 10 restrictions to “strengthen the management of chaos within fan communities”.
On Monday (Aug 30), the state-controlled broadcaster CCTV released a set of infographics emphasising eight of the major regulations to help drive the points home, vowing that it will work hard to “rectify the chaos in fan communities and deal with the entire entertainment industry”.
Keep scrolling to see what the restrictions are
1. Minors are strictly prohibited from spending money to give ‘rewards’ and support to their idols.
Remember when Gillian Chung reportedly splurged thousands of dollars on a Douyin streamer? Yeah, that’s exactly what they don’t want kids to be doing.
2. Lists that rank the popularity of stars are to be abolished.
Only rankings of music, film, and television works are allowed, and the names of the artists involved cannot be mentioned. Guess that’s the end of ‘highest-paid celeb’ articles, at least for those in China.
3. Online variety shows must get rid of mechanics that require viewers to “spend money to vote”.
You know, like this year’s Star Awards Top 60 voting, which was done entirely online for free and fans didn't need to spend money to vote like in past years.
4. Fans are to deal with each other’s unsavoury behaviour within the community strictly.
Things like verbal abuse and the spreading of rumours and other harmful information are to be dealt with immediately. Severe penalties will be imposed on platforms that are found to be poorly managed. Zhao Liying’s fans and work studio have experienced this first-hand.
Was Vicki Zhao’s saga the last straw?
5. Fans cannot be “baited” to vote for music, film, and television works.
When it comes to how these are ranked, the weight of indicators such as the number of ‘likes’ and comments are to be reduced, and the weight of indicators like “work orientation and professional evaluation” are to be increased.
6. The dissolution of “rule-breaking” fan communities.
Basically, online communities that exist for the purpose of fans to gather for discussions on how to get more votes for their idol or plans to “control” the comment sections on official websites are to be taken down.
7. The personal purchase amount and contribution value of fans cannot be displayed on celebs’ products such as albums.
Marketing activities that “stimulate fan consumption” such as customised benefits are also not allowed.
8. Limit discussions that incite conflict between fans.
Celebs’ agencies and work studios will now be more responsible for managing the behaviour of fans. Accounts that are found to have started fights and fan wars will be limited, banned, or closed down completely. There will also be a reduction in the release of information pertaining to stars.
They really don’t want another Zhang Zhehan, Kris Wu, or Zheng Shuang controversy
Photos: 央视新闻/Weibo, Vicki Zhao/Weibo, Kris Wu/Instagram, Word of Honor/Weibo, Zheng Shuang/Weibo
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