Fans’ Practice of Reporting: A Study of the Structure of Data Fan Labor on Chinese Social Media

Authors

  • Haoyang Zhai University of Melbourne
  • Wilfred Yang Wang University of Melbourne

Keywords:

social media, China, Weibo, digital labor, data fan, fandom

Abstract

Focusing on pop fans’ media practices of collective reporting, this study identifies fans’ role in the Chinese idol industry from the perspective of digital labor and the distribution of power within online fan communities. By analyzing 1,956 Weibo posts from eight online fan communities, this study found that the social influence of China’s fast-growing idol industry coincides with the rapidly advancing digital economy in which a hierarchical system exists in online fan communities. Fans who possess greater digital skills and industry knowledge have taken advantage of social media to become leaders in their communities to organize fan labor, and the efforts of ordinary fans are less noticeable and do not result in appropriate compensation.

Author Biographies

Haoyang Zhai, University of Melbourne

Haoyang Zhai (M.A. Monash University) is a PhD candidate in media and communication studies at the University of Melbourne. Her research interests include digital media, fandom, digital religion and spirituality, and China.

Wilfred Yang Wang, University of Melbourne

Wilfred Yang Wang (Ph.D. Queensland University of Technology of Media and Communication Studies) is a lecturer of media and communication studies at the University of Melbourne. His research interests include digital/platform media, mobile media and migration, digital geographies, and China. He is the author of the book, Digital Media in Urban China Locating Guangzhou (Rowman & Littlefield International, 2019).

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Published

2023-02-26

Issue

Vol. 17 (2023)

Section

Articles

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