Weibo, China's version of Twitter, Suspends 21+ K-Pop Fan Accounts – Morning Brew

When Americans were all winding down from their second Saturday, Weibo—China’s version of Twitter—suspended at least 21 fan accounts for K-pop bands like BTS and Blackpink. In a statement that felt like the rules change ceremony in Wife Swap, the platform said it scrubbed the accounts to curb “irrational star-chasing behavior.”The purge began Sunday, when Weibo banned a BTS fan club with 1.1 million followers from posting for 60 days after it crowdsourced a birthday gift for Jimin (the cutest BTS member, keep up).According to Weibo, collecting donations to customize an airplane for your fav vocalist contributes to the “chaos of fan clubs” that China wants to quell. Later that day, Weibo said it would ban a number of other celebrity accounts in an effort to “purify” its platform. It cited a government notice from last Thursday about banning “vulgar internet celebrities” and feminine-looking men on TV. Big picture: China’s entertainment industry has recently had to confront spikes in online censorship as the government cracks down on internet culture, which it considers unhealthy. Just last week, China limited online video game playing to three hours a week for kids under 18. – MM
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