What is Zimeiti ? The commercial logic of content provision on China’s social media platforms

Bibliographic Data

ID21790263
AuthorsKecheng Fang (0000-0003-1674-1543, Chinese University of Hong Kong, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume15
Issue1
Pages75-94
Publication date2022-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueChinese Journal of Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1754-4769 • E-ISSN: 1754-4750
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17544750.2021.2016877
OpenAlexW4200611239
LanguageEN
Citations received18
References cited33

“Zimeiti” (we media or self-media) is a buzzword in China that has never been clearly defined. It generally refers to non-institutional content providers on social media platforms such as WeChat and Weibo. I conducted a systematic analysis of metadiscourse about zimeiti, including industry reports and conference speeches by important figures in this community. I found that zimeiti is mainly seen as an emerging commercial sector monetizing user attention. Its boundaries are set loose enough to include any new forms of monetization on social media platforms, while at the same time strict enough to exclude discussions on social and political implications. To legitimize this industry, the community adopts depoliticization strategies that emphasize market mechanisms. Based on the findings, I propose a “push and pull” model to explain the variances in politicization/depoliticization across media types. The findings provide an important reality check on the zimeiti community and help us gain insights into China’s restricted yet highly commercialized online content ecosystem

Business · China · Content analysis · Economics · Media system dependency theory · Monetization · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Social media · Social science · Sociology · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Computer Science · Media Studies and Communication · Social Media and Politics

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