Racial harmony and sexual violence: Uneven regulation and legal protection gaps for influencers in Singapore

Abstract

Drawing on a multi-year ethnographic study of influencers in Singapore and analyses on frameworks regulating racial harmony and sexual violence, this paper adopts approaches from anthropology, cultural studies, and socio-legal studies to illustrate how the law heavily regulates certain influencers while failing to protect others. This spans across governance from the “state” through government interventions and introduction of formal law, governance in the “industry” through sector-based guidelines and best practice recommendations, and governance in the “vernacular” from peer surveillance and the court of public opinion in civil society. Through mixed qualitative methodologies including traditional and digital participant observation, content analysis, archival research, document survey, and case study files, this paper aims to locate the current terms and boundaries of influencer governance and regulation in the verticals of “race & culture” and “sex & safety.” In “race & culture,” we consider how the majority-race Chinese influencers and minority-race Malay and Indian influencers are differently policed by the three tiers of governance, and experience uneven consequences. This includes commentary that is overtly racist, poor stereotypes that perpetuate everyday racism, and parody content that calls out systemic racism. In “sex & safety,” we consider how sexual harassment and assault are regulated in the industry. This includes the underbelly of the industry where some prominent influencers-cum-managers have been accused of sexual grooming and advances as part of their recruitment processes. It highlights how when women are provided an anonymous space to discuss sexual harassment, a tidal wave of stories emerge, leading to doxxing and the potential for vigilante justice. It also reveals how LGBT influencers and sexual offenders are policed more harshly, while sexual harassment against women take place without repercussion even when revealed. We end with a consideration of the state of influencer wellbeing and welfare in the industry, and the place of the law in regulating longstanding and emergent issues.