Online influencers who flaunt their excessive wealth on Chinese social media are facing a ban as part of a crackdown from the government to regular internet policies.
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One famous influencer, Wang Hongqua, who bragged about owning seven properties in Beijing and claimed never to wear an outfit worth less than 10 million yuan($1.38 million), has been banned from Douyin, the Chinese version of Tiktok, preventing him from interacting with his 4.3 million followers. His other videos depicted Wang living a lavish lifestyle with numerous Hermes bags, maids, and expensive sports cars. Other influencers who shared similar content had been blocked from the platform.
China’s Cyberspace Administration launched a campaign in April targeting influencers who created a “wealth-flaunting” persona to intentionally showcase a lavish lifestyle built on money to attract traffic and followers. According to NBC News, this is not the first time Chinese authorities have tried to regulate internet behavior to combat undesirable social media trends.
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In 2022, officials released a code of conduct prohibiting livestream anchors from showing off many “jewelry, luxury goods, cash, and other assets.” This latest effort occurs amid an economic slowdown in China, which has significantly impacted the middle class, especially young adults, due to the competitive job market, leading some to focus on content creation or withdraw from society.
A similar trend is occurring in the United States, as content creators have noticed people are focusing on “de influencing,” not purchasing or following trends recommended by influencers and focusing on living within their means. Additionally, social media users seek more authentic content instead of curated content that only reflects certain aspects of an influencer’s lifestyle.
