Queers uploaders on Douyin: traffic chasing, identity expression, and media regulation

Abstract

ABSTRACT Queer issues are in an undefined position in China and given this status quo, censorship tends in practice to be characterised by ambiguity. Flexible approaches to identity expressions exist on media platforms such as Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. This context of ambiguous regulation enables queer Douyin uploaders in general to achieve their identity expression in a delicate balance with censorship. More noticeably, Douyin is a traffic-oriented running platform and for queer uploaders, this commercial attribute complicates the already complex negotiations between identity expression and media regulation. This article is an analysis report that pictures this complexity. It is based on online fieldwork conducted by the corresponding author in 2022, in which the corresponding author observed thirty queer uploaders’ daily practices on Douyin and further interviewed three of them to learn their particular behaviours in these complex negotiations.