Work

Douyin's playful platform governance: Platform's self-regulation and content creators’ participatory surveillance

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: To mediate the tensions between state regulation and content-creator incentives, Chinese social media platforms have developed an interesting practice of using platform official accounts to communicate their rules to the creator community. These accounts anthropomorphize platforms, enabling platforms to represent their regulatory bodies using fictional human characters or animated figures. The phenomenon of platform anthropomorphization in the Chinese context stems from a different ontological understanding of platform governance. The first part of this article discusses the logic of platform governance in China, and highlights a different state–platform relationship in comparison to the US and European countries. In the second part, the article turns to focus on Douyin as a case study to further investigate how Chinese social media platforms establish rules and govern content creators. By analysing Douyin's public-facing policy documents and its platform official account, Douyin Safety Centre, we reveal a mechanism of playful governance.

Source: International Journal of Cultural Studies

DOI: 10.1177/13678779241247065

Authors: Zhen Ye, Qian Huang, Tonny Krijnen

Institutions: Erasmus University Rotterdam, University of Groningen

Language: English

Topic: Media and Digital Communication

Subfield: Computer Networks and Communications

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,450