And that’s really what Chinese social media apps excel at - radiating tons of 人气 (rén qì), that otherwise ineffable quality of people-energy wherever large groups of humans congregate (i.e. Just as you cheer on tonally challenged friends at a real karaoke, giving plenty of love to off-pitch singers is part of the communal experience on Quanmin. There’re plenty of mediocre singers on Quanmin who also get followers and gifts. Listeners can give virtual gifts they’ve purchased to singers, and earning the best gifts is another way of proving your mettle.īut the quality of the singing is also kind of besides the point. Singers can earn badges and see where they rank in the charts for a given song. There’s a competitive aspect to see who can sing a song the best. And when people do it online, it creates a very intimate setting where strangers singing together for the first time can feel as if they’re buddies since long ago. Singing together, as does drinking together (and these often go hand in hand), exposes people’s true character. This is probably why karaoke is popular in East Asian cultures, where social cohesion is important. Not only do words of emotion come from the mouth, but bad singing can cause embarrassment. To sing, a person must be willing to be vulnerable.
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