ABSTRACT
Studies on the Chinese internet mostly focus on how the government censors content and regulate digital platforms. We rarely know how internet companies understand, respond to and negotiate the relationship with the government. This study examines Danlan, the company that runs the world’s largest gay dating app Blued. We approach the interaction between Danlan and the government with an institutional perspective, treating them both as organizations seeking resources and legitimacy. Drawing on fieldwork, we develop the concept of embedded symbiosis, which characterizes the collaborative government-business relationship, and explore how Danlan, the seemingly weak side in this relationship, plays an active role in initiating, negotiating, and maintaining such relations at different stages of embeddedness. Danlan endeavors to form a symbiosis with the government to pursue its survival and development, yet eventually risks alienating from the gay community and colluding with the state in governing homosexuality. The case of Danlan shows the possibility for internet companies to seek legitimacy in an ever-changing political environment through working closely with the authorities and even becoming part of the governmental system itself.
Acknowlegements
We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and the editors of this special issue, Jack Qiu, Peter Yu, and Elisa Oreglia, for their constructive comments and support.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
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Notes on contributors
Weishan Miao
Weishan Miao is an Associate Professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. His research interests lie in the interplay between technology, culture, and society, especially with a focus on the Global South and a commitment to issues of marginality, inequality, and social justice. His work appeared in leading journals such as Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, New Media & Society, Mobile Media & Communication, The Information Society, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Science Communication, Asian Journal of Communication, Journal of Contemporary China and Media International Australia [email: [email protected]].
Jiacheng Liu
Jiacheng Liu is a doctoral student at the Bellisario College of Communications, Penn State University. His research focuses on the intersection of gender, sexuality, and media technologies [email: [email protected]].
Shangwei Wu
Shangwei Wu is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at Jinan University. His current research considers the use of media technologies in social relationships. [email: [email protected]]