Entertainers who conduct commercial fundraising for fans will be called upon by industry self-discipline experts
Diversified co-governance promotes the positive development of the "rice circle"
● Capital creates idols through programs, idols absorb a large number of fans, and these fans eventually become a tool for capital to make profits
● The flow-only evaluation system for artists and programs should be changed as soon as possible, and a diversified evaluation system based on professional skills and social responsibilities should be established to curb the bottom-line expansion of capital
● Schools and parents should work together to strengthen guidance and education for young people, help them improve their personality and mind, establish the correct "three views", and avoid being kidnapped by the fan economy driven by capital and losing the ability to make independent judgments
□ Our reporter Han Dandong
□ Chen Yiqi, an intern of our newspaper
On May 12, the China Performance Industry Association issued an important announcement in response to the chaos such as "funding and investment" and "milk pouring incident" caused by individual variety show talent show recently, which exposed problems such as excessive consumption and irrational "response". Said that they will punish the entertainers and their affiliated agencies or studios who raise funds for fans and receive funds from fans.
In recent years, talent shows have produced a lot of traffic artists, "funding for investment" has become the only way for them to make their debut. Some fan groups have raised funds as high as millions of yuan, and the extreme waste has caused a great impact and caused netizens. Discussion and attention.
Only flow theory of draft mechanism
Fans reduced to profit tools
Not long ago, a video in which fans bought a large amount of milk and poured it into a deep pit for "funding to invest" went viral on the Internet, arousing netizens' anger and condemnation of the extravagance of the "fan circle".
The milk pouring incident occurred in a village in Lintong District, Xi'an.
"Pour a box of milk for one dollar." The local villagers said that they were hired by the boss to pour the opened milk into the pit. "The company only accepts bottle caps with a QR code on them."
Fans can only vote for idols by getting the QR code and send idols to make their debut, but the more QR codes the fans get, the more milk they can’t handle.
The villagers said that almost everyone in the village was hired to pour milk for four or five days in a row.
In this regard, some netizens sighed: "The previous draft was a popularly elected idol debut, but now the draft is controlled behind the scenes by capital.
Since the "first year of the draft" in 2005, the variety show has undergone more than 10 years of development.
As the broadcast platform moves from TV to the Internet, the rules of the draft are constantly changing.
In the early TV audition programs, viewers voted for the supporting players by sending mobile phone text messages. Each viewer can only send one text message. The program review plays a decisive role in the retention of the players.
In today's variety show, the role of the reviewer is downplayed. The instructor is only responsible for guiding the trainees professionally and has no right to decide whether to leave or leave the trainees. Fans voted on the rankings of the rankings to become the only measure of debut.
As long as you spend money, you can set the rules of unlimited voting, making the idol debut into an endless battle for money.
"When many platforms launch talent show variety shows, they will intentionally or unintentionally send a message to fans that the value of an artist depends on the number of fans and their spending power, thus misleading fans to blindly pursue traffic, or even falsify data, destroying the normal industry. Competition order." Zheng Ning, director of the Law Department of the School of Cultural Industry Management of Communication University of China, said that in recent years, under the influence of the interests of capital and platforms, and under the wrong direction of the supremacy of flow, the culture of the rice circle has shown a tendency to deform and continue Challenge the bottom line of law and ethics.
Wang Yanhui, a lawyer at Shanghai Hengyanda Law Firm, believes that the most important problem with the current variety show mechanism is the act of raising funds for fans and receiving funds and properties from fans.
The core of this problem is actually the power of capital. In essence, capital creates idols through programs, and idols absorb a large number of fans, and these fans eventually become a tool for capital to make profits.
Blindly chasing stars without distinguishing right from wrong
Rice circle culture goes deformity
Wang Yanhui believes that the lack of supervision of entertainment variety shows has led to capital manipulation of program rules. The capital has jointly launched an all-round "encirclement and suppression" campaign against fans with sponsors, platforms, and program groups for profit.
The fan survey released by Zhiyan Consulting shows that the younger the fan is, the more people chase idol groups.
More than 60% of "post 00s" who follow stars are idol groups; more than 25% of "post 00s" often spend money on idols, ranking first among fans of all ages; nearly 15% of "post 00s" spend on star chasing each month More than 5,000 yuan, second only to the "post-60s" with stable economic income.
"Sometimes I would quietly use my mother's mobile phone to spend money on idols. She doesn't look at the mobile phone very much, so she usually won't be discovered." said Li Xinxin (a pseudonym), a sixth-grade student in a primary school.
"I have had the habit of saving money since junior high school. Both the New Year's Eve and the pocket money my parents gave me will be saved, and the money for star chasing will be taken from there." said Zhang Xue (pseudonym), a second-year student in a high school.
"I try to save my expenses in other places as much as possible. Sometimes I pay out my meals for the second half of the month. Then I will do some part-time jobs or ask my dad for more." Grade student Wang Bingjie (pseudonym) said.
In this regard, Zheng Ning said: “In order to make the idols they admire stand out, some fans must try their best to raise funds for the idols even if they are embarrassed, even ignoring that such fundraising may end up due to excessive processes or unknown destinations. Lost money. The'milk pouring incident' once again made the public intuitively feel the madness of the'rice circle' chasing stars. This kind of irrational consumption and unrestrained comparison has caused a huge financial burden on young families, and also on their values. Had a bad effect."
Spending money for idols is not just a fan’s wishful self-giving and self-improvement, but also the "baptism of thought" that the support club spares no effort. For example, "save a cup of milk tea every day, and my brother will have more hope for his debut" and "eat a bag of snacks less." , You can buy one more album" and so on, are the words that the support club often say to fans.
What's more, there are fans who advocated that the student party use flowers as "idol" to boost business sales: "The live broadcast of XX products can be used for flowers. The installment is 12 months, and it costs more than ten yuan a month. A student like me. The party can consider."
Under the influence of the rice circle culture, fans not only frequently emptied their idols, but also lost the ability to distinguish right from wrong when the idols performed bad behaviors. The first reaction was actually to oppose black critics.
In Zheng Ning's view, the deformed "rice circle" is caused by the absence and anomie of all parties.
Chasing stars without a bottom line has seriously affected the healthy growth of young people and the ecological construction of the entertainment industry, to the point where it is urgently needed to be rectified.
"The most urgent task is to establish a systematic and multiple co-governance system to promote the positive development of the'fan circle'."
Scientific design selection mechanism
Guide fans to chase stars rationally
In the special rectification of the summer vacation network environment for "Qing Lang" minors in 2020, the Office of the Cyberspace Administration of China proposed to focus on rectifying information and behaviors that induce minors to chase stars without a bottom line, tear each other's "rice circles", and compare and show off their wealth.
With the further spread of unhealthy trends in the “fan circle”, on May 8th, the Cyberspace Administration of China deployed a series of special actions for “Clearness” in 2021, and once again pointed out that it is necessary to regulate the online behavior of celebrities, their behind institutions and official fan groups, and be strict. Crack down on online violence and irrational voices and support from online fan groups.
At the same time, the industry has also stepped up rectification efforts.
On February 5 this year, the China Performance Industry Association issued the "Administrative Measures for the Self-discipline of Performers in the Performance Industry (Trial)", which clearly stipulates the practice standards that performers should consciously abide by.
On May 10, the Beijing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau issued the "Notice on Further Strengthening the Management of Online Variety Shows", which put forward clear requirements in scientifically designing the program selection mechanism and resolutely cracking down on irrational support behaviors, including formulating scientific and reasonable ratings In addition to the promotion criteria, it is not allowed to set up a “spend money to vote” link, and it is strictly forbidden to deliberately guide and encourage netizens to use material methods such as shopping and membership membership to vote for the players.
It is strictly forbidden for any institution or individual to falsify data in the form of "spending money to vote" or "raising funds to invest" to interfere with program selection.
"This is a positive attempt and deserves recognition." Zheng Ning said, "All parties should change the flow-only evaluation system of artists and programs as soon as possible, and establish a diversified evaluation system based on professional skills, social responsibility, etc., to curb capital Bottom line expansion momentum."
Subsequently, the China Performance Industry Association also issued an announcement stating that the China Performance Industry Association Ethics Committee will initiate a review process for commercial fund-raising and accepting fan-funding and property, and implement industry self-discipline such as "boycott" on the involved performers based on the results of the review. Disciplinary measures.
"The voice of industry associations can strengthen the education and guidance of entertainers and actor agencies, and purify the current bad atmosphere." Zheng Ning suggested that government departments should cooperate with industry associations to scientifically set platforms, program producers, artists, and entertainers in accordance with the law. The obligations and codes of conduct of various entities such as brokerage companies, brand owners, etc., strengthen the rule of law and professional ethics training for artists and brokerage companies, carry out industry punishments for artists’ illegal and unethical behaviors, reward and support positive energy artists, and protect all Party behavior is correct.
"Schools and parents should work together to strengthen guidance and education for young people, help them improve their personality and mind, establish the correct'three views', and avoid being kidnapped by the fan economy driven by capital, and thus lose the ability to make independent judgments." Zheng Ning said .
Wang Yanhui believes that in order to solve these problems, variety shows should be controlled from the source.
First, introduce corresponding laws and regulations to regulate the behavior of the performing arts industry, and at the same time, the regulatory authorities should increase supervision; secondly, call on the platform to assume social responsibilities that match its own influence, and not make profit as the sole purpose; finally, guide Fans chase stars wisely, and don't blindly become a tool to gain profits under the instigation of capital.