Being Nice (for a Price)

Online chat groups where members gather to compliment one another are lifting spirits on social media. These praise groups, or kuakuaqun, encourage members to share their worries and pressures and receive words of comfort in return. There are around a dozen such groups on WeChat and QQ. Most members are university students. Yang Nan, one of three co-founders of a group at Xi’an Jiaotong University, told media it serves as an emotional outlet for students and a place to spread positivity. However, not all are free of charge. Vendors on e-commerce site Taobao sell memberships to kuakuaqun starting around 50 yuan (US$7.5) and offer customized services. Many have expressed support for the groups, while some said they offer a false sense of approval that could do more harm than good