China's latest online crackdown targets mean girl online fan clubs that turn toxic
China is trying to make its cyberspace a bit kinder and is targeting a phenomenon appealing largely but not solely to female teenagers known as "fan quan", or fan clubs, to do so.
The campaign known as “Clear and Bright,” initiated by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), started yesterday and will continue for the next two months.
Fan quan see a great many - sometimes millions - of a celebrity or brand’s followers congregate to form an online gang that sometimes descends into abusive language, doxxing, and other aggressive behaviors in an effort to promote their chosen celebrity over others. Beyond simply fighting for their chosen celebrity, the largely underaged members often donate money to their idol of choice.
The fervor can often be akin to that of sports fans or even political adherents, although the chosen target is typically apolitical in nature. The exception might be the case of Ivanka Trump, who in 2017 found herself a cult figure to Chinese online fan clubs. In some cases, the target has been a brand.
This fan economy in China is huge and is treated as a business model where income, popularity and relevance relies on the devotion of one’s fans- like a social media influencer meets Kickstarter campaign gone viral and well, sometimes dirty.
