Chinese Digital Lives: A Parallel Universe of Ambitious Release

Everyone knows the new generation of young Chinese is consumed by all things digital. Internet bars, bursting with netizens, are the size of football fields. More than 600 million individuals carry mobile phones. According to state-controlled media, there are more than 60 million bloggers in the PRC, double the amount in the United States. Chinese digital mania begs the question of how people engage with new media - what emotional urges are released, how self-expression is manifested - and whether these drivers are fundamentally different from Westerners'.

East vs. West

Chinese youth are a unique cohort. On one hand, they are tremendously ambitious. They have grown up in an economic go-go environment in which the need for "success" - always defined in terms of professional and monetary achievement - is reinforced at every turn, by parents, grandparents and teachers.

On the other hand, China remains a profoundly rule-based, regimented society. Restrictions to self-expression, both implicit and explicit, are omnipresent. Students, always in uniform, never question teachers. Pedagogy focuses on drills and memorization. Unlike in, say, American high schools, there is limited "sub-culture tribalism." There are no marching bands, choirs, debate clubs or swimming teams. College criteria are strictly academic (culminating in the dreaded goa kao, the nationally-standardized entrance exam). To boot, media are 100% state-controlled. They offer, by global standards, a very narrow range of content or platforms for non-censored self-expression.

Adding fuel to the fire is the alluring-yet-forbidden fruit -- Eve's Apple -- of Western individualism, enticingly conveyed via glossy fashion magazines and illegal DVDs, not to mention iconic American and European brands such as Nike and Apple.

This tension between projection of ego and alienation avoidance is a powerful dilemma for most Chinese. One focus group quote says it all: "I would love an uber-sexy motorcycle but, you know, I don't want any trouble with the police."

The Internet and Conflict Resolution

What is the result of this intoxicating brew of timeless cultural imperatives and contemporary game changers? It is a paradoxical coexistence of infectious optimism -- a belief in boundless possibilities and the urge to make a mark -- and a world where free thought is mission impossible.

Given this conflict, digital liberation is manna from heaven, despite the snooping of 50,000 net police and recent government efforts to expose users' real identities on portals such as Sina and Sohu. The anonymity of new media is a blank canvas of self-expression. Consider the following findings uncovered in a recent IAC/JWT survey on American vs. mainland young digital "mavens": While a large minority of Americans agree that they live some of their life online (42 percent for both sexes), more than double the percentage of Chinese youth feel similarly (86 percent). The gap between the samples is even wider when respondents are asked whether they have a "parallel" online life; while only 13 percent of Americans agree they do, nearly five times as many Chinese agree (61 percent).

Is the online world a channel for repressed citizens to spew venom at corrupt officials and "anti-China" CNN? Yes, but it is much more. JWT believes cyber space is a chance to have a second life. It is a fantasy-driven virtual journey, albeit one that mirrors real world aspirations of "standing out while fitting in." Furthermore, in cyberspace, dreams can be instantly gratified, a stark contrast to the molasses-like progression mandated by offline hierarchical codes.

Marketers and Ego Amplification

Marketers can tap into the power of digital liberation by ensuring their communication campaigns address unquenched thirst for bold ego affirmation. These motifs include:

Release, or liberation from the restrictions of a regimented social structure;

Acceptance, or fitting in without sacrifice individual identity;

Acknowledgement, or generating talent recognition without progressing through real world restrictions;

Transcendence, or allowing the demands of society to fade away while rediscovering one's "pure" self.

Release. Given a reality of grimacing under pressure, the digital world represents true emancipation. Video games are perhaps the most ubiquitous vessels of primal discharge. Almost 50 percent of global "World of Warcraft" players are young Chinese men. The omnipresence, even addictive power, of violent video games gives free reign to depravity in a virtual world that violates reality-based norms. One avid fan says, "Online, I can be gay. I can be king of darkness. I can be whoever I want to be. NO one can judge me." Another proclaims, "When I play, I can kill my teacher. I let my anger and angst out. I feel much more alive in the game than at the dinner table."

"Release" does not have to be dangerous. Mindless fun can be compelling too, as evidenced by the pervasive "shan zhai" phenomenon, light-hearted copy-cat ads that poke fun at established brands ("Just Don't It"), celebrities (a tone deaf Jay Chou, one of Taiwan's most popular singers) or cultural icons (puppies painted like pandas). Pizza Hut's "Yummy Band," a virtual gang of goofy instrumentalists, encourages surfers to "be happy students" by "defeating" exam stress with music.

The most potent liberation occurs when inner feelings, difficult to articulate face to face, are conveyed across a digital comfort zone, sometimes in a larger than life manner. DeBeers "Love World" site, for example, enables men to create a "planet" of "love monuments" and deposit them safely into girlfriends' e-mail boxes.

Acceptance. China's young generation grew up in sheltered, protective households. Parents monitored every move and stressed the importance of conventional achievement (i.e., good grades). As a result, Chinese youth are not confident in their "cool." They crave peer acceptance. A quote from Man Zhou, a celebrated software hacker, is typical: "At first, I thought I had limitless choices in life, but then I realized I needed to grow up and adapt to society. Maybe it's different in America, but in China, our culture forces us to become just another square person."

The digital world liberates "the real me," hence the popularity of social networking sites. According to Synovate, 72 and 78 percent of Chinese use the internet to, respectively, "chat with people you know or have lost contact with" and "meet and chat with new people," almost double the rates of Japan, the U.S. and France. A desire to seek out and connect with "like minded people" explains the success of 7-Up's "World Travelers Unite!" site and Ford's "Excitement Challenge." During the latter online event, individuals shared experiences while transforming themselves from "boring to bold." In the process, 600 million clicks were generated on Ford.com. Nike's on- and offline "Nine Gates, Nine Tribes Tournament" linked team affiliation to lifestyle and personality preferences. Beijing was taken by storm.

Acknowledgment. Chinese egos are huge, but scaling the Mountain of Glory is a life-long endurance test. To boot, blatant status projection is frowned upon, given values of "saving face" and "understatement." The Internet, therefore, provides a platform to shine. Millions of admirers can, almost instantly, applaud uniqueness. Chun Xu, an online novelist, became a big name within a year. Li Yuchun, aka Supergirl, morphed from an odd-looking wannabe pop star to national icon in three months. Her rise was fueled by 400 million SMS votes and a multitude of fansites. Within weeks, the Dorm Room Boys, two twenty-year-old students, became lip-syncing sensations, securing Motorola and Pepsi contracts in the process.

For modern Chinese, narcissism is more alluring than Buddhism. Virtual stars - web movie maker He Ge, sports blogger Li Chenpeng, BBS cypto-sexy superstar Sister Lotus and even the "Sichuan Rescue Pig" - are proof that, on line, it only takes a moment to become larger than life. Pepsi's "Get on the Can" competition generated epic buzz. The same enthusiasm greeted Pringles' "My Own Word Record," Nokia's "Who Has the Best (Dance) Moves?" and Colgates' "Star Search" initiatives. During the lead up to the Beijing 2008 Olympics, McDonald's "Amplify Your China Pride" and KFC's "We Will Win(g)" sites gave Everyman a megaphone to attract kudos for patriotic passion.

Transcendence. In reality, only "big shots" are "above it all." Young Chinese are not escapist in a Japanese sense. And they are fundamentally optimistic about the future. But they need an occasional break. Pervasive conformity, not to mention a belief that "society corrupts the pure," fuels a desire to cleanse the soul. Due to broad reach, anyone on the internet can achieve moral or omnipotent transcendence. One example of the latter - i.e., having "the hand of God" -- was a Chengdu student who gained acclaim by assisting the People's Liberation Army locate a helicopter landing platform during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Cisco's "For the Children" web-based educational assistance network allowed even "small potatoes" to perform acts of supreme benevolence for underprivileged rural kids.

Summing Up

In conclusion, real world success is a long and twisted journey. In the digital universe, laws of gravity do not apply. Giant leaps to liberation are not only possible but commonplace. This article reviewed four motifs - release, acceptance, acknowledgment and transcendence - marketers can employ to touch the Chinese heart of youthful desire.

This article appear first in Advertising Age magazine.

 

Comments

[captain kangaroo]

This article reminds me of the "Old China Hands" of the West from the last two centuries. People who spent their entire lives trying to general what is "Chinese". I think at some point people have to realize how pointless and arrogant it is, to paint this dichotomy between what is Us and the Other (I wont even attempt to bring Orientalism into this).