Chinese
live-streaming might not have the weird fetish appeal of the Japanese idol industry,
but the fake egalitarianism and built-in exploitation make it even more
perverse. Popular hosts and singers on the YY streaming platform can make tens
of thousands of dollars per month, but the system is still stacked against
them. Molecular biologist-turned documentarian Hao Wu dives deep into the YY
ecosystem in People’s Republic of
Desire (trailer
here), which premiered at this year’s SXSW.
Shen
Man is an up-and-coming YY host, who is the sole support of her unemployed father
and step-mother. She will be a genuine contender during the annual YY competition,
because she has a number of well-heeled patrons and a major YY talent agency
backing her. If you read YY’s media kit, it probably makes the platform sound
like an egalitarian place, where average folk determine who is successful with
their votes and on-line buzz. In reality, they might be able to boost a host
from obscurity to a modest following, but once big-dollar patrons start
throwing online (but very real) money around the live-caster’s “showroom,” the
serfs are effectively frozen out of the action.
Big
Li is maybe the last exception. He is considered the “diaosi” (a hard to
translate term for a homely underclass male) who made good. He is the last of
the unagented hosts who will meaningfully compete in the YY contest. A win will
bring online fame, as well as more sponsors and hopefully gifts, but it comes
at a price. Agencies will spend hundreds of thousands ofreal dollars on online
votes, which they charge back to clients, making second place an expensive
disappointment.
Wu
follows both hosts through two competitions and a very messy year of scandals
and personal strife in between. Wu’s approach is primarily sociological, with a
special focus on the disenfranchised diaosi, who become increasingly
disconnected from the live-streamers they helped build. There is also a
pronounced element of sexism in how female live-streamers are treated. Even top
talent like Shen Man must regularly field vulgar comments and many of their
patrons clearly expect sexual favors in exchange for financial support.
However,
we see enough of the inner workings of YY and major agencies (many of whom seem
to be bankrolled by sketchy underworld types) to know this racket is fishy.
Frankly, someone should do a full-scale expose of the Chinese live-streaming
industry, but there is not exactly a robust tradition of investigative
journalism on the Mainland.
Desire manages to make
Western social media look less corrosive and divisive, which is definitely
quite an achievement. As director and editor, Wu shows a keen eye for human
drama, but still gives viewers a good overview of the bigger picture. He vividly
illustrates the disparity between migrant workers and the oligarchical patron
class, without belaboring the point. Highly recommended as a snapshot of contemporary
Mainland society, People’s Republic of
Desire screens again this afternoon (3/11) and Wednesday (3/14) during SXSW
’18.
