Flattery for sale: Paying for praise is the new thing in China social media
- WeChat and QQ are full of groups that will turn any situation into a compliment
At a time when the internet and social media have come under attack for their impact on mental health – including depression, anxiety, feelings of loneliness and low self-esteem – groups of netizens have emerged in China with a mission to achieve the exact opposite.
These groups are full of people who find extremely creative ways to find a silver lining in any dark cloud. To take one example, one person complained that “I can’t focus on reading.” The gold-star response? “This means your knowledge level is higher than the book.”
Another example starts with: “My roommate is a girl”. Back comes the professional response. “You can tell that your roommate is a girl? You have eyes for discovering treasures.” And, “You now have what I dream about having.”
Dozens of the these praise group vendors can also be found on Alibaba Group Holdings’ Taobao platform, where you can buy a 5-minute session for about 50 yuan (US$7.45). It can take a while to actually join a group due to heavy demand, but once you are in the compliments come thick and fast.