The Chinese government has just released new guidelines for influencers and livestreamers. One of them prohibits influencers from talking about serious topics carelessly.
Influencers and livestreamers who create professional content on serious topics such as health, finance, law, and education must have qualifications relevant to the field.
This rule was announced by China's National Radio and Television Administration which grants licenses to content providers, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism which oversees internet culture, as quoted by Gizmodo, Monday (27/6/2022).
Platforms are held responsible for checking influencer and livestreamer certifications. Virtual presenters or artificial intelligence must also follow the same rules as human presenters.
With this new policy, the Chinese government can more easily moderate content on video and social media platforms. This rule can also prevent misinformation, especially when the content shared by an influencer can actually influence a person's financial and health decisions.
In addition to qualification issues, these 31 new rules also require influencers to have the right tone regarding political orientation, and actively embody socialist values. Influencers are not only prohibited from criticizing Chinese-style communism, but also China's economic reforms that lead to free markets.
Video content that uses deepfakes or shows an excessively luxurious lifestyle can also get influencers smacked by China's internet police. Livestreamers are also prohibited from badmouthing poor people to show off their wealth.
The new rules also prohibit mukbang content because it is considered a waste of food in large quantities. Two years ago, the Chinese government even planned to impose fines on mukbang video creators.
