Chao YAO, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
The “excessive competition of the entertainment industry” and the "chaotic online celebrity fan culture” marked the beginning of the domestic digital governance of China. Under China's policies on the overseas platforms and those specific literary topics, 2019 saw the blocking of an overseas fanworks platform in mainland China due to online conflicts of different fan groups, celebrity teams, and those internet trolls. In 2021, in the context of China's governance of the entertainment industry, some private associations successfully blocked those stars or Film and TV productions with the support of a series of Chinese online platforms, such as Weibo, Taobao, Bilibili, but lacking a valid regulation foundation from relevant government departments, such as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Chinese Administration of Radio, Film, and Television.
Taking use of those online platforms, some involved actors seem to obtain more coercive power, and successfully produce related effects in a wide scope. Drawn upon Michael Mann's infrastructural power, based on several landmark events of the online entertainment industry, this paper will explore the power networks in the current digital governance of China, especially those who are involved in this process and their actions, especially those online platforms with their selective information propagation, coercive blocking of accounts and prohibition from speaking. Without any power that is officially claimed granted from the government, the previous power balance is changed regarding this digital sovereignty and a new one is around the corner.
Mots clés :
A103877CY