Teman Bayar Lagi Ngetren Di China, Jadi Obat Keonesan Bagi Anak-Anak Muda

JAKARTA - The younger generation in China is increasingly using social media not only to connect with their friends. But also to pay unknown people to want to chat with them to treat loneliness.

This trend is often referred to as a pay friend. Users on Xiaohongshu social media platforms are widespread using the hashtag 'companion chat' or 'friend chat' to find other people who are willing to have a random conversation for a few minutes.

"Is anyone willing to chat? I will pay whatever it takes," reads the text of one of the uploads using the hashtag, quoted by VOI from The Star's website on Monday, November 18, 2024.

Within hours, the user received dozens of replies from people offering conversation services. This hashtag has garnered millions of views in recent years.

This reflects the increasing desire of Chinese consumers to spend money to overcome loneliness, part of a broader trend known as "emotional consumption".

Along with the soaring number of single populations in the country, more and more people have switched to various forms of paid assistance, ranging from talking to strangers online to playing virtual roles.

"This growing trend of paid friends is a'response to China's demographic changes'," said Wang Pan, a lecturer in China and Asia studies at the University of New South Wales, as well as author of China's Love and Marriage in Globalizing.

According to China's latest census, the number of unmarried people between the ages of 20 to 49 reached 134 million in 2020, more than the entire Japanese population.

According to data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, marriage registration in China has fallen by almost half in the last decade, with only 4.75 million couples married in the first three quarters of this year, the lowest figure in history.

This decline in the number of marriages opens up opportunities for the development of the pay-friend industry, covering various services ranging from artificial intelligence-based chatbots (AI) to human cosplayers who offer to meet face-to-face at certain costs. Again, the reason young people are willing to spend the money is just to accompany loneliness.

"Young people in China are getting lonely, so people have a strong desire for love, intimacy, and closeness. This creates space for the growth of a paid friend's business. In addition, this is a profitable business," said Wang Pan.