Monetized knowledge: Commodification of knowledge in Chinese Internet space and its impact

Abstract Knowledge has always played an essential role in Chinese society. Today, the emphasis on knowledge has led people to seek more efficient ways to acquire it. Our article highlights three primary and differing forms of knowledge commodification in the Chinese Internet space: knowledge payment, knowledge Internet celebrities and knowledge live streamers. By analyzing five representative knowledge platforms on the Chinese Internet, we found the core feature of knowledge in knowledge payment is usefulness, and the essential feature of knowledge disseminated by knowledge Internet celebrities and live streamers is popularity. Moreover, the commodification of knowledge has other implications, especially on knowledge production and diffusion. We explain the mechanisms behind this, finding that the market’s logic is not the only logic that affects people’s behavior, and the user’s purchase and knowledge-learning behavior are intertwined. Additionally, the algorithm mechanism codetermines the dissemination of knowledge content as an intermediary force with the market mechanism.