| This project explores how fans participate in coordinative data practices on Chinese social media platforms and how they perceive their data activities. Drawing on three fandom cases and ten semi-structured interviews with fans, I found that fans simultaneously interact with three actors on Weibo: algorithms, the public, and other fan organizations. By playing with the algorithms, fans can manipulate public opinions and increase the visibility of positive content related to their idols. To prove their celebrity’s popularity, fans use social media as an intermediate platform to control offline activities. As for fans’ perceptions of their data practices, there is a particular time span. Initially, they consider data practice as a meaningful tool to enhance the visibility of their idols. However, after one or two years, their passion for participating in data-related activities may be consumed by constant conflicts among fan groups and the hierarchical feature of fandom communities. Hence, fans’ participation in data practices is not a permanent action. It is a short-term behavior that depends on the fandom circumstance these fans are facing, and it is common for fans to directly leave the community if they feel disturbed. |
