Paid Posting in Chinese Cyberspace: Commodification and Regulation

Abstract

This research examines paid online posting and its regulation in China. Profit-driven manipulation of online conversations, including paid posting and the so-called “dark public relations,” is a widespread problem on the Chinese Internet. Governmental regulation on paid posting, however, is ambiguous and inadequate. This research proposes a new approach to conceptualize paid posting. It argues that paid posting is a controversial form of content production that emerges in relation to market-oriented exploitation of the media as well as commodification of communicative labor in digital settings. On this basis, this research analyzes the law’s role in the installation of market relations in digital media. It argues that the ambiguous regulation of paid posting is part of a long-term problem that resulted from media policies that prioritize economic growth and political control over disruptive impacts of the market.