Description
Abstract:
In the context of regulatory governance over Chinese television adaptations featuring male same-sex romantic narratives, online interactions within related fan communities are shaped by both platform governance and internal community norms. Existing studies recognise the tension between fans and censorship, while paying less attention to internal fan hierarchies, the agency of different types of fans, and their power relations within fandom communities. This article draws on the fandom of The Untamed as a case study and employs online ethnography to examine how different fan types are positioned and expressed within Weibo-based fan spaces.
The findings suggest that The Untamed fan community on Weibo is heterogeneous and structured through a visibility-based hierarchy. Within this structure, female fans who interpret male actors’ relationships as having real-life same-sex romantic implications are regarded as requiring regulation or restriction. This positioning is reinforced through gendered discourse, including accusations of misogyny. However, such marginalisation does not eliminate participation. Instead, it enables marginalised fans to develop diverse tactical practices to maintain presence and expressive capacity within existing constraints. The article argues that power relations within The Untamed fandom are continuously negotiated among platform governance, community norms, and fan practices. This further contributes to an understanding of spatial hierarchies and fan agency in contemporary Chinese fan cultures.