China 's internet watchdog is cracking down on itsfan communities, per an announcement this week.- This comes after fan groups dumped mass amounts of milk into drains. They were buying the milk in bulk to support their favorite reality TV contestants.
- Chinese celebrities have also been targeted by vitriol unleashed by powerful anti-fan communities.
Jake Paul and Jeffree Star may have their share of superfans and diehard defenders who will go to extraordinary lengths for their favorite influencers. But they've got nothing on Chinese fan groups who splurge millions of dollars and engage in all-out, prolonged online wars for their favorite celebrities.
But now a string of incidents that went viral on Chinese social media is prompting the country's government to crack down hard on these groups.
In an announcement on June 15, the country's internet watchdog said it would take action to quell once and for all what it views to be abusive, malicious, and slanderous behavior in online
"For a period of time, 'fan circle' fan groups have hurled online verbal abuse, cheated the rankings of their idols on charts, spread rumors, and destroyed the online environment, adversely affecting the physical and mental health of minors," said the Cyberspace Administration of China in a statement.
"We urge web platforms to fulfill their responsibility to improve community rules. We also hope these platforms will advise fans to support stars in a rational and healthy way," added the commission.
The Guardian noted in a report this week that the commission's announcement coincides with preparations being made to guarantee social stability online, and to prevent pro-democracy groups from popping up while the Chinese Communist Party prepares for its 100th anniversary in July.
But several happenings were likely the major triggers behind the Chinese authorities' move to consider harsher restrictions on online fan behavior.
Got milk?
China's fan culture is largely driven by online groups who pump millions into supporting celebrities, with one report estimating that it is now an industry in its own right, worth around $100 billion.
But this May, one fan campaign incensed the Chinese authorities amid a nationwide push to reduce food waste.
Fans supporting contestants on the boy band competition show "Youth With You 3" were prompted to spend millions of dollars on a dairy product called Meng Niu fruit milk just to obtain a QR code.
Fans were able to vote for contestants via this QR code; the top nine vote getters would be chosen to form a new boy band. Each QR code counted as one vote for a contestant, leading fan communities to purchase these products in bulk.
The country's media outlets soon reported a "river of milk" coming from fans who were opening the bottles just to obtain the code, then ditching the milk into drains.
Following the controversy, the production of the finale was suspended, and its voting system closed entirely.
"The idol pays for their fans' actions" - Chinese heartthrobs suffer the consequences of protracted fan wars
Idols and their fans alike also suffer at the hands of cult-like, out-of-control fan behavior.
A common saying on Weibo (China's version of Twitter) is "粉丝行为 偶像买单" which can be translated to "the idol pays for the actions of their fans." In their announcement on Tuesday, the Chinese authorities said that such abuse was a prime reason why more regulations for these online groups are needed.
Last year, up-and-coming actor Xiao Zhan was forced to make multiple apologies on behalf of his fans and lie low for months.
This happened after Xiao became the target of millions of online hate comments after a piece of slash fanfiction titled "Fall" posted on the website Archive of Our Own depicted Xiao as a transgender sex worker and his co-star Wang Yibo as an underage customer.
The incident regarding Xiao resulted in a full-scale investigation by the Chinese internet watchdog last year into how minors aged 12 to 18 were negatively impacted.
The take-no-prisoners approach of some Chinese fan groups has caused some Chinese celebrities to have emotional breakdowns on live TV.
Chinese singer and former K-Pop boy band member Huang Zitao burst into tears during a live interview in 2015. He was being asked about how an ugly, year-long fan war that erupted between his fans and those who supported former colleague and fellow EXO band member Kris Wu was affecting his mental health.
"There's no point in me explaining myself because the people who hate me will continue to hate me. All I wanted to do was sing," he said.