China begins Crackdown on Social Media Influencers

Chinese authorities have begun removing online influencers known for their luxurious lifestyles from social media platforms as part of a government crackdown on conspicuous displays of wealth.

The Cyberspace Administration of China, the national internet regulator, launched a campaign last month targeting influencers who “create a ‘wealth-flaunting’ persona, deliberately showcasing a luxurious life built on money, in order to attract followers and traffic.”

Among the social media influencers affected is Wang Hongquan, whose account on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, has been banned. Searches for his account return an error message indicating it was blocked “due to violations of Douyin’s community guidelines.”

Other influencers who posted similar content have also faced bans. Bo Gongzi (Young Wealthy Lord Bai), who had 2.9 million followers, and Baoyu Jiajie (Abalone Sister), with 2.3 million followers, have seen their Douyin accounts blocked as well.

This crackdown comes amid an economic slowdown in China, which has reportedly hit the middle class particularly hard.

Lyla Lai, a former beauty influencer with over a million followers on Douyin, highlighted the disconnection between these wealth-flaunting personas and the reality of most people’s lives.

“When most people are unhappy with their own lives, they see all this online content that’s so disconnected from reality — seeing all these people who seem so happy and wealthy, it creates a pretty warped psychology,” Lai said in a voice message.

Lai, who left Douyin amid criticism over her sales tactics and lifestyle, expressed concerns about the impact on young people.

“There were concerns about young people today seeing too much of this stuff and not focusing on their studies anymore, getting caught up in this excessive, greedy materialism,” she said. “In the long run, that’s definitely not good for development, so this cleanup is really necessary.”