Thread by @lillianmli

1) Changes in the air - pulling of idol-focused community apps, wasted milk scandal, Kris Wu's arrest, government announcement condemning fan culture.

Feels like a bigger crack-down for idols or 'traffic stars' (流量明星) is imminent.

2) Idol culture, imported from Japan and Korea, has grown rapidly in China in recent years. Some reports estimate China’s idol market to be worth RMB 100 billion ($14 billion) by 2020, with YoY growth of 60%.

3) The business model harks back to 1920s' movie studios - where studios incubate stars and secure them with exclusive contracts.
But instead of studios, it's internet media platforms and their ecosystem of trainee schools these days.

4) Tencent, IQiyi and Youku are all big players in hosting talent shows to select the next idol, fan vote-in with calls or by buying products (buy a packet of milk, get one vote). The system drives a lot of attention and profit for both advertisers and media platforms.

5) The idols themselves general have no extensive talent in being an entertainer, they were often selected for the malleability of their face and image. Often literally through plastic surgery.
It is a business now, trainee schools aka idol training schools churns out candidates

6) For every entertainer that makes it through a talent show, probably thousands don't. For those that do, the internet platform then sign exclusive contracts with these idols, with hefty take rates from profits generated from projects.

7) Since the logic of traffic stars is that they literally bring traffic and attention to platforms. Thus engagement is required, conflict is required, kayfabe is required.
Remind you of anything? Yeah, fandom culture has gotten toxic really fast in China.

8) Unsurprisingly, a lot of idol fandom is driven by minors and they are, kinda dumb and vicious. As Xinhua likes to point out - 8% of China's 183 million underage netizens engaged in reputation-boosting activities for their idols

9) Chinese online culture discussion, because of rivalry between idol groupies, is ugly, no politics needed.
Doxxing, trolling, impulse buying to support their idols are all in a day's work for fans.

10) Kris Wu is a top traffic, you might not know him, I didn't either a year ago. But he is a big deal.
His recent arrest on the allegations of rape is timely, because I think similar to how Weinstein was arrest during a power decline, this is similar.

11) I think Chinese regulators are pulling the bandaid this year and the topic of traffic idols feels very sailent.
Might be in the form of tougher guidelines to Tencent Media, Youku and IQiyi. But if that does happen, it's more of a troll crackdown.

Watch basically how I talk about the future of Tencent, Alibaba without referencing it directly. Only for true followers 😜