What is Zimeiti? The commercial logic of content provision on China’s social media platforms

Abstract “Zimeiti” (we media or self-media) is a buzzword in China that has never been clearly defined. It generally refers to non-institutional content providers on social media platforms such as WeChat and Weibo. I conducted a systematic analysis of metadiscourse about zimeiti, including industry reports and conference speeches by important figures in this community. I found that zimeiti is mainly seen as an emerging commercial sector monetizing user attention. Its boundaries are set loose enough to include any new forms of monetization on social media platforms, while at the same time strict enough to exclude discussions on social and political implications. To legitimize this industry, the community adopts depoliticization strategies that emphasize market mechanisms. Based on the findings, I propose a “push and pull” model to explain the variances in politicization/depoliticization across media types. The findings provide an important reality check on the zimeiti community and help us gain insights into China’s restricted yet highly commercialized online content ecosystem.