One of China’s most popular influencers is no longer able to flaunt his wealth on social media. Chinese social media influencer Wang Hongquanxing, who earned the moniker “China’s Kim Kardashian,” is suddenly a lot less influential in his homeland after the Chinese government’s Cyberspace Administration watchdog issued a ruling that social media users—including high-profile influencers like Wang—were barred from creating “ostentatious personas.”
Wang had previously bragged about owning seven high-value properties and claimed to have never left home with less than $1.4 million worth of jewelry and clothing.
The Latest Digital Crackdown
Wang had amassed 4.3 million followers on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. His profile on that platform as well as Xiaohongsh, are now both inaccessible due to a “violation of self-discipline.”
“Once materialism starts spreading, it can have a bad influence on teenagers . . . Hence this trend of luxury on the internet needs to be stopped,” state media Beijing News wrote on Wednesday, as reported by the Financial Times.
More than a dozen other high-profile influencers who have been exhibiting their wealth have also been banned from China’s social networks. This isn’t the first crackdown involving those who post on social media. Beijing has regularly rolled out “Clear and Bright” campaigns meant to purge what it sees as the evils of the online platforms, confronting cyberbullying and more recently what it described as “class antagonism.”
The ruling comes as China has been increasingly sensitive about wealthy individuals flaunting their affluence as the country faces a significant economic downturn.
“Xi Jinping has been signaling that lavish displays of wealth are against the Chinese Communist Party ethos for a while. His New Year address called for a focus on the ‘common prosperity’ and these policies are in line with that emphasis,” explained Dr. Matthew Schmidt, associate professor in the National Security Department in the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at the University of New Haven.
“Xi is acutely aware of the history of the Soviet Union and the role that disaffection with the corruption of elites played in the downfall of the Soviet Union,” Schmidt added. “China’s leaders have been deliberately trying to avoid those mistakes for decades. That’s why China’s communism looks so different from the USSR.”
Could Such Bans Catch On Elsewhere?
It is possible other countries that face growing dissent due to class struggles—notably in the Middle East and Africa—could institute similar bans on such garish displays of wealth. In America, many influencers have become celebrities, often famous for being famous. And while they may not face a ban, there may be the need to temper the displays of such wealth, at least if they hope to grow the brand with the youth market.
“GenZ both admires and despises wealthy influencers who are out there relentlessly promoting themselves,” said social media analyst Greg Sterling, co-founder of Near Media. “Yet many in Gen Z aspire to join them. Becoming an influencer was in the past one of the top aspirations of members of Gen Z. Simultaneously, however, they recognize the utterly superficial nature of the public lives that many of these people lead.”
In other words, if you can’t beat them, at least aspire to join them!
