Identity Struggles as Online Activism in China: A Case Study Based on “The Inviting Plan for 985 Fives” Community on Douban

Online communities support the well-being of their members by encouraging their social identity formation. In the context of an online community, online activism in the form of identity struggles can be particularly helpful for marginalized individuals or groups. Since May 2020, students from the 985 universities, an elite educational project in China, have been coming to an online community named “The Inviting Plan for 985 Fives” on Douban, an interest-based Social Network Site (SNS), to discuss their failure and dissatisfaction in life. Students who were once recognized for their academic excellence now identify as “fives” (or “garbage”). The present study examines how the Douban group, as a social network and collaborative system, supports the group members in their identity struggles in the context of increasingly fierce peer competition in China. We employ a qualitative approach, combining ethnographic methods such as participant observation and semi-structured interviews, with in-depth analysis of the top discussion threads. We discover that while peer competition and social stratification in contemporary China cause students at the top universities to feel anxious and lost, the online community they built collectively supports them to create a new social identity, the identity of “five,” which is the basis of their online activism. Through this new identity, they seek unofficial democracy, civic participation, and possibilities of social change.