Contending fan engagement strategies in China's translocal economy: The case of Tibetan cyber star Ding Zhen

Abstract

The Ding Zhen phenomenon saw a young Tibetan herder from Litang County of Sichuan Province gain a spotlight within China’s new-media celebrity industry, introducing a mode of translocal connectedness through a fan economy. The mode of connectedness features social engagement between Ding Zhen’s extra-local fans and a state-owned company in Litang with aims to profit from the influence of this cyber star to develop ethnic tourism, in line with the trend of using technological marketing solutions for poverty alleviation. Interacting with Litang’s media tactic, Ding Zhen’s fan communities on two Super Topics (超话) on Weibo compete to define proper fan behaviour and champion the rights and subject personhood of their idol beyond the limits of his localized identity. At the same time, the company aligns with the state’s stance on fan disciplining as a way of regulating fan friction and activism. The challenges faced by fans within the current media climate as they attempt to uphold fan subculture, as well as those faced by a highland ethnic town grappling with the complexities of unbalanced spatial development, serve as the underlying factors driving translocal cooperation and conflicts. In their intertwined situations, both extra-local fans and the local community seek empowerment, navigating their tensions towards a dynamic of accommodation.