Friend and Foe at Once: Entanglements between Algorithms & Chinese Gay Men

Longxuan Zhao (Tongji University) presents his work on the entanglements between algorithms and Chinese gay men

Ambiguity, sensitivity, niche spaces, the pink economy, inclusivity… in China’s specific sociocultural context, the encounter between gay men and algorithms has generated a set of complex and subtle keywords. Algorithms open gateways to information, desire, companionship, and community, while also producing anxieties through recommendation, censorship, throttling, misrecognition, and commercialization. This talk explores how algorithms become both “friend” and “foe” for Chinese gay men: enabling connection while shaping boundaries, promising visibility while producing invisibility, and creating possibilities while exposing vulnerabilities. 

Speakers

Longxuan Zhao, PhD, Shanghai Chenguang Scholar, is an Assistant Professor in the College of Arts and Media at Tongji University. His research interests lie in Critical Algorithm Studies, Gender and Sexuality, Social Inequality, and Qualitative Research Methods. His work has been published in journals such as Big Data & Society, Social Media + Society, Social & Legal Studies, and Journal of Homosexuality.

Susie Jolly is an Honorary Associate of the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) and Co-convenor of Wonderful Bodies Connected Communities, which brings together transgender people and women with mastectomies.