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Jessica Liao found three of her Weibo
accounts were banned in early Octo-
er 2021. The three accounts cost her
b
¥45 (US$7.05) on Taobao, a Chinese
online shopping platform, in Septem-
ber 2021. She bought the accounts
to increase traffic data for her idol on
Weibo, a leading social media plat-
form in China.
“Each of them had 500 follow-
ers. I could [use them] repost a post
[by my idol] for 100 times without
being stopped [by Weibo censorship
system],” she says.
“Idols’ popularity can be quan-
tified by numbers [including the The Cyberspace Administration of China announced instructions to
amounts of likes, reposts and com- clean up chaos in online fandom on August 27, 2021.
ments]. Fans want to boost their idols’
popularity. It can help an idol’s career,” of the many fans in China engaging abuse online and doxing, encouraging
Liao adds. intensively on social media platforms fans to flaunt their wealth, manipulat-
Despite her strong attachment to to promote their beloved singers or ing social media comments and hi-
her idol, Liao declines to disclose his actors. jacking public opinion by making up
name. She explains that she does not But such moves are not allowed topics online.
want to associate her idol to a male anymore. On June 15, 2021, the Cy- One of the chaos is reportedly
group survival show he participated berspace Administration of China about an idol survival show called
early this year. “[That survival show] (CAC) launched Qinglang cam- Youth With You 3 produced by iQIYI,
was unfortunate [with a bad reputa- paign (清朗) to put an end to the a major video streaming platforms in
tion],” she says. “chaos” involving online fan clubs. China. A video showing people be-
To drive traffic to content related The CAC banned five kinds of lieved to be fans pouring bottles of
to her idol, Liao once had more than online chaos: inducing minors con- yoghurt drink down the drain went
ten Weibo accounts. She was only one tributing money to their idols, hurling viral in May. The fans wanted to scan

“

Idols’ popularity

can be quantified by

data [including the

amounts of likes,

repost and com-

ments].

The idol survival show, Youth With You 3, produced by iQIYI, was
” aired from February 18, 2021 and was abruptly halted on May 1,
2021 before the grand finale.