They just want to be known

Youths in China seek attention through short videos on social media

BEIJING: If you want to know which social media platforms Chinese youths like now, you better not miss short videos.

“As for Douyin, a short video application, 85% of its users are aged under 24, and the main influencer users are born after 1995, and even 2000,” said a person in charge of the app, in an interview with China Youth Daily.

On popular short video apps, including Douyin and Kuaishou, users can upload short videos, the content of which ranges from cooking and physical exercise to dancing and gatherings, and share them with other users.

A 12yearold user named Xiaoqianyu has up to 2.6 million followers on Douyin.

The girl, who enjoyed dancing since she was in kindergarten, has uploaded videos showing her learn

ing jazz dance and finger dance since last July.

One of the videos won her about one million fans, and she has become famous as a result.

“Besides recording the movements, I can add relevant music to the video, so it is easy and fun to shoot the videos,” said Xiaoqianyu, who enjoys sharing happiness with all by shooting the short videos.

Another user, named Xiaozhou, is a 22yearold undergraduate majoring in English. Xiaozhou prefers Kuaishou to Douyin.

“Most netizens think the rural life showcased on Kuaishou is low. Instead, I think those videos give rural people a voice,” said Xiaozhou, whose hometown is a village in Bozhou city, Anhui province.

“The short videos in different genres and content cater to different users’ tastes while undoubtedly bringing happiness to their daily routine life,” Xiaozhou said.

Some users rely on the short videos to get secondhand information.

“Because I can’t spend many hours watching a long video or a programme, I prefer to get some information from the short videos that showcase the essence of a concert or the mustsee parts of a TV drama,” said Wang Zhihao, a student at Anhui Medical University.

“Growing up in an era of material affluence, people born after 1995 pay more attention to pursuing individual interests and novel things. And short videos encourage users to show individuality and funny things.

“So the youths create short videos to share with others and invite them to understand and recognise what they think is funny and novel,” said Li Yazhang, a PhD student majoring in Science and Technology of Communication and Policy at the University of Science and Technology of China.

Some, however, feel bored with the short videos and have made known their views on social media. — China Daily/Asia News Network

Most netizens think the rural life showcased on Kuaishou is low. Instead, I think those videos give rural people a voice. Xiaozhou