Chinese platforms shut down super-wealthy social media influencers in move against 'bad behaviour' content
Online personalities who have reportedly had their accounts banned include a luxury jewellery and accessories collector dubbed “China’s Kim Kardashian.”
Chinese platforms shut down super-wealthy social media influencers in move against 'bad behaviour' content
Online personalities who have reportedly had their accounts banned include a luxury jewellery and accessories collector dubbed “China’s Kim Kardashian.”
24 May 2024 06:17PM
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SINGAPORE: A wave of suspensions has hit China’s super-wealthy social media stars as several influencers recently found their accounts banned for flaunting their luxurious lifestyles online.
Among the influencers who had their Chinese social media accounts suspended was “wanghongquanxing”, belonging to Mr Wang Hongquan who comes from Hebei Province and often shares his jewellery collection in his videos.
According to China Daily, others were “baoyu jiajie” or Sister Abalone - a wealthy socialite from Guangdong Province, and “Bo Gongzi” or Master Bo, an influencer with a penchant for the Hermes designer brand.
The move is part of the platforms’ wider crackdown on “negative value-oriented” content, a phrase used by social media platforms, watchdogs and news sites to usually describe "bad behaviour" such as cyber-bullying and misinformation.
On May 15, state media Global Times reported that many Chinese social media platforms had announced that they would be cracking down on negative content that flaunts wealth and promotes materialism.
A check by CNA on Friday (May 24) showed that Mr Wang’s account on microblogging platform Weibo has been suspended. A search for Sister Abalone’s account on Weibo also turned up empty.
According to China Daily, Mr Wang had more than 4 million followers on the short-video platform Douyin.
His posts often featured designer handbags, lavish jewellery collections, as well as frequent appearances at luxury brand events.
Dubbed “China’s Kim Kardashian”, South China Morning Post reported that he owns seven properties in a high-end Beijing residential compound.
However, Mr Wang appears also to have a separate account on YouTube under the username “xiaolaodao” or “Little Nagging” which is still in operation.
A video of him in an interview with Phoenix TV in December 2023 showed Mr Wang showing off a large jewellery box with all the glamorous accessories that he “wore recently, all kept inside”.
When asked how much jewellery he kept in his residence in Beijing, Mr Wang candidly replied: “The ones I’ve worn recently are all kept (in this box). As for how many pieces I own, I don’t know, I’ve never checked.”
In the video, Mr Wang also showed off a necklace with a sapphire mined in Myanmar and a brooch with a sapphire from Sri Lanka. Both pieces cost “seven digits, (they) have yet to reach eight digits,” he said.
Another account, which reportedly belonged to his assistant Xi Kai, recently shared a photo of Mr Wang at an event in Chengdu.
The comments section of a post shared by Mr Xi on Wednesday showed users asking for Mr Wang’s whereabouts.
“Please tell ‘xiaolaodao’ to cheer up despite getting involved! Since this place isn’t for him, there will be other places for him!,” one user wrote.
The Paper reported that Sister Abalone, who is from Guangdong Province, also often showed her life as a wealthy socialite.
She is known for flaunting her 2,000 sq m mansion and has amassed over 2 million followers on Douyin, where she posts videos of herself leisurely strolling through her private gardens.
Just like Mr Wang, Sister Abalone’s douyin account showed an error on Friday. However, a Facebook account with 46,000 followers reportedly belonging to her, was still online.
The Facebook page showed photos of Sister Abalone showing off designer clothing, traditional delicacies such as aged mandarin peel and bird’s nest, as well as a box of jade bracelets.
Several apps and platforms such as Tencent, Douyin, Weibo and Xiaohongshu have taken a stand against the problems raised by negative value-oriented content, Global Times reported.
In a May 15 post on its official account, Weibo wrote it has been committed to creating a “civilised, healthy and harmonious” environment, and encourages users to create or share content that is “truthful and positive value-oriented”.
To create a positive community atmosphere, Weibo’s administrators announced it will take action on content that shows “extravagance and waste”, “showing off wealth and money worship”, as well as other negative value-oriented content.
According to Weibo, as of May 15, it has “cleaned up” 1,110 posts that flaunt wealth and other “bad value” behaviour in their content. A total of 27 accounts were either banned from posting or suspended, depending on the severity of the violation.
Tencent Holdings, which owns instant message software QQ, announced on the same day that it has targeted accounts that “promoted materialism” and extravagant lifestyles.
“In the past week, a total of 6,041 pieces of content were deleted, 36 illegal accounts were dealt with, and 21 mini-programmes were removed,” it said.
Tencent said it would continue to crack down on all kinds of bad behaviour - including those that show off wealth, content that “discriminate and mock those who are not rich”, as well as “fabricating false personalities for marketing fraud”.
