Weibo Holds Zhao Liying’s Team Liable For Failing To Manage Toxic Behaviour Of Fans In Unprecedented Move; Banned From Posting For 15 Days
About time.
Fans often take it upon themselves to protect their idols, but in Chinese actress Zhao Liying’s case, the actions of her fans have caused her a great deal of humiliation instead.
On August 23, the Weibo account of the 33-year-old’s work studio was banned from posting for 15 days. This is said to to be the first time Weibo has exacted such a penalty on a celeb.
Her fan bases on Weibo including the Zhao Liying Global Fan Support Club, which has 2.59mil followers and the Zhao Liying Weibo, which has 2.34mil followers, have also been banned or suspended.
The reason? Liying’s fans reportedly instigated boycotts and started fights with the fans of 24-year-old actor Wang Yibo. Things got so nasty that China's Central Cyberspace Affairs and Commission decided that they would no longer put up with such toxic behaviour.