The practice of “self-certification” has become widespread in contemporary Chinese fandoms. From selling fan-made merchandise and joining online communities to publicly expressing emotions, self-certification has become a crucial prerequisite for establishing trust among fans. The normalization and routinisation of “self-certification” reflect the trust crisis faced by individuals in the digital age, providing an entry point for studying digital communication among young people. This study conducted semi-structured interviews and participatory observations with fan groups from different areas to sort out the genesis and operational mechanisms of the digital “self-certification” phenomenon from the theoretical perspective of “the transparency society”. The findings reveal that the rise of self-certification reflects a shift from private interactions to the public sphere, in which fans retroactively construct transparent identities on social media and engage in self-governance according to fanquan rules. In building a trust system, fan groups generate “reputation capital” through diverse practices and evaluate emotional intensity using a complex “multi-currency” system. As interpersonal trust among fans becomes more abstract and technologically-mediated, digital tools like lists, screenshots, and watermarks play an increasingly central role. However, the logic of digital transparency, characterized by an overload of data and the erasure of emotional nuance, also brings about existential anxieties and deepens the difficulties surrounding trust. The potential for underlying violence within these dynamics deserves further exploration.