Research on the Identity Reconstruction of Chinese Fan Communities from the Perspective of Platform Governance

Abstract

With the rapid development of digital platforms, fan communities have become an important part of online social ecology in China, and their identity construction is deeply shaped by platform governance mechanisms. Taking 8 mainstream social platforms and 24 fan communities in China as research objects, this paper adopts the mixed research methods of questionnaire survey, in-depth interview and data analysis to explore the impact of platform governance (including content moderation, algorithm recommendation, community norms and interactive mechanisms) on the identity reconstruction of Chinese fan communities. The research finds that platform governance has a significant dual impact on the identity reconstruction of fan communities: on the one hand, it standardizes the behavioral boundaries of fan communities, promotes the rationalization of identity cognition, and enhances the sense of community belonging; on the other hand, excessive governance or inappropriate governance methods will lead to the alienation of fan identity, the weakening of community cohesion, and even the fragmentation of identity. Based on social identity theory and platform governance theory, this paper constructs a theoretical model of the relationship between platform governance and fan community identity reconstruction, verifies the key influencing factors through empirical data, and puts forward targeted optimization suggestions. The research enriches the research perspective of fan culture and platform governance, and provides theoretical reference and practical guidance for the healthy development of Chinese fan communities and the optimization of platform governance strategies.