Why China has kicked its 'Kim Kardashian' off social media

China is tightening its grip over user content on social media.

In the latest development, an influencer popularly dubbed China’s Kim Kardashian was banned last week for showing off his wealth on the internet, as per the New York Post.

This comes just two weeks after social media companies like Weibo, Douyin and Xiaohongshu abruptly banned dozens of accounts for breaking these guidelines.

Here’s all we know about it.

Chinese Kim Kardashian banned on social media

Influencer and jewellery dealer Wang Hongquanxing, who earned the moniker “China’s Kim Kardashian,” is the newest victim of the Xi Jinping-led Communist Party’s campaign against extravagant behaviour and public displays of wealth.

He is one of many wealthy digital influencers who gained millions of followers by boasting about his opulent lifestyle and expensive belongings.

State media has branded this way of life as a “toxic influence” on society.

Wang’s personal profiles are currently inaccessible due to a “violation of self-discipline” policy, as per The Telegraph.

For Wang, who had over 4.4 million followers on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, the abrupt ban was a startling fall from glory.

He rose to fame in 2022 after he uploaded a video of himself pleading with his mother for money while lying on all fours, as per Dailymail.

According to Sixth Tone, he is often seen donning gorgeous jade, pink diamonds, and pearls the size of pigeon eggs.

In an interview, the 30-year-old bragged that he never left the house with accessories and clothing valued at less than $1.4 million.

Wang had previously disclosed to Phoenix News, a Chinese media site, that he owned seven houses in a $110 million upscale residential compound in Beijing.

Also read:  Quicksplained: Why has Chinese influencer Thurman Maoyibei been kicked off social media?

Similar bans on influencers

China’s crackdown on influencers is not new.

The authoritarian regime has been trying to restrict digital freedom of expression and control influential people who spread ideas that are critical of the government’s narrative.

Among the other restricted influencers was “Sister Abalone,” a middle-aged Guangdong socialite who enjoyed a fanbase of  2.3 million followers on Douyin.

She flaunted her lavish lifestyle from her Macau mansion and got her nickname by feasting on $3,500 worth of dried abalone.

Also referred to as “the richest woman on the internet,” she would provide online tours of her 3,300 square metre estate, which included a golf course, gardens and a courtyard, according to the South China Morning Post.

Bai Gongzi was another well-known figure who broke the more stringent regulations.

Nicknamed “Mr Bo,” he was also known for flaunting his opulent possessions, which included gaudy vehicles, high-end clothing, and a variety of Hermes bags.

According to The Telegraph, he entertained his almost three million followers by travelling the world in luxury and driving a Rolls Royce and Porsche.

Rich streaming and e-commerce partnerships helped all three influencers skyrocket their online career.

But, their online influence was likely to be abruptly diminished when China’s internet authority, the Cyberspace Administration of China, declared it would intensify its ongoing efforts to stop “excessive wealth flaunting.”

Similarly, Dailymail reported that China’s “queen of livestreaming” was penalised $204 million in 2021 for tax evasion as part of Beijing’s efforts to address the celebrity culture.

According to the Hangzhou tax department in southern China, internet celebrity Viya, whose real name is Huang Wei, was fined in 2019 and 2020 for concealing personal income and other offences.

Also read: Why Chinese social media companies are cracking down on posts that show off wealth

‘Harmful values’

The authoritarian administration said it would go after conduct that “caters to vulgar public demands” by “deliberately showcasing a lavish lifestyle built on wealth.”

Soon after, state media condemned the “worship” of money promoted by these influencers.

“This type of behaviour creates a highly distorted fantasy, spreading unhealthy values through the pursuit of wealth,” digital media outlet The Paper wrote.

Many of the nation’s social media platforms, including Tencent, Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu, have reportedly endorsed the concerns voiced by the internet watchdog, according to Singaporean news channel Channel News Asia.

Weibo said that it has spent this month performing special management work on “undesirable value-oriented content,” including content that “shows off wealth and worships money,” in an online statement that was published on 15 May, as per The Guardian.

According to the statement, it had targeted posts that flaunted luxurious homes and cars.

Posts that were perceived as boasting about one’s riches and the independence that accompanies it were also deleted.

Weibo claimed to have deleted over 1,100 pieces of content.

Similar statements were also published by Tencent, Douyin, Kuaishou, Bilibili, and Xiaohongshu.

Douyin released a statement in which the platform reaffirmed its commitment to continuously monitoring and taking action against accounts and content that promote materialism, excessive displays of wealth, and inaccurate comparisons of lavish lifestyles, reported by the Global Times.

Additionally, content that targets, discriminates against, or mocks other social groups, or unfairly flaunts one’s privileged circumstances and social rank will not be permitted.

Douyin, reported that between 1 and 7 May, it deleted 11, accounts, and 4,701 messages, The Guardian reported.

Chinese media outlet The Cover reported that Xiaohonshu had erased 4,273 “illegal” posts and removed 383 accounts in the previous two weeks.

The social media crackdown

The most recent crackdown coincides with a difficult economic time marked by inadequate development, high youth unemployment, and a shaky real estate market, bolstering the likelihood that regulators will try to identify signs of disparities.

Additionally, it is the most recent of several attempts by the government, led by the authoritarian Chinese president Xi Jinping, to impose more control over all spheres of society.

As per The Telegraph, netizens have been split on the change; some are disappointed that they can’t explore expensive things anymore, while others have blasted the negative online atmosphere.

With inputs from agencies