“like” friends, “match” friends… gain insight into the new social trends among young people!
2024-09-15
한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina
source | people's forum network - people's forum magazine
please indicate the source when reprinting
from "like" friends in the circle of friends to "company" friends in life, from talking about everything and being close to keeping distance and paying attention to boundaries, young people's social methods and social needs are currently showing many new changes.
as you can see,some young people are no longer as keen on socializing as their parents, but tend to choose "social downgrade" and develop "light social" relationships.what are the reasons for these changes? what are the new social trends among contemporary young people? how do you view these changes? let's take a look!
why has the way young people socialize changed?
the changes in the way young people socialize are due to both structural and technical factors. structural factors can be roughly divided into three levels: family structure, social structure and relationship structure.
first, the miniaturization of family structure has led to the simplification of the internal relationship network of the family.due to the significant reduction in the number of brothers and sisters of their parents, contemporary young people rarely have a complete and close family relationship genealogy. the titles of uncles, aunts and aunts are relatively unfamiliar and distant to some young people, and they lack the experience of living together in an intimate way. this has two consequences. on the one hand, some young people grew up in an environment lacking close relationships with close relatives, and have not learned the life skills and psychological preparation for traditional close relationships with close relatives, let alone how to deal with relationships similar to those of close relatives. on the other hand, due to the reduction of close relatives in the family, the close relationship network of close relatives that some young people can trust and rely on has gradually disappeared. although there is still a close relationship network with the titles of uncles, aunts and aunts, some young people are unwilling to bear the cost of maintaining this seemingly close but actually distant relationship. as a result, in the world of some young people, "breaking off ties" with those relationship networks that are nominally relatives but are actually unfamiliar and lack deep emotional connections has become a rather popular attitude towards life.
secondly, large-scale social mobility has caused some young people to "disengage" from the traditional "acquaintance society" relationship network.driven by urbanization and industrialization, my country's social structure has undergone significant changes, especially the emergence of super-large-scale population mobility, which has changed the life pattern of the agricultural society who spend their old age in their hometown. whether it is studying or finding a job, leaving their hometown to work hard in big cities has become the common life trajectory of most young people. it can be said that my country has already transformed from an "acquaintance society" to a "stranger society". adults entering the "stranger society" have to face the process of "disembedding" from the relationship network of the "acquaintance society" in their hometown. they have lost the support of the original familiar and trustworthy relationship network and face the uncertainty of urban life alone. the anxiety and loneliness caused by uncertainty require new social methods to eliminate. this has led to two phenomena: one is that some young people lack the corresponding social skills and do not know how to build their own interpersonal network in the "stranger society", so they are called "social phobia". the other is to try to build their own interpersonal network and actively socialize with strangers. the emergence of "tiezi" social interaction is a typical example.
finally, with the changes in family structure and social structure, the relationship structure of some young people has changed.the traditional chinese relationship structure is mainly based on pre-assigned relationships, such as blood relationships and geographical relationships, while the current relationship networks that young people can truly interact with in their daily lives are mainly based on acquired relationships such as academic relationships, professional relationships, and interest relationships. most young people have many "friends" in their social software lists who they have only met once or have never met, and the proportion of close relationships and acquaintances in the relationship network is gradually decreasing. the relationship structure has gradually changed from a super-stable structure dominated by strong relationships to an unstable structure dominated by weak or marginal relationships. this means that even some social activities that should appear in close relationships and acquaintance relationships have to choose marginal relationships and unfamiliar relationships to be realized because of the lack of close relationships and acquaintance relationships.
structural factors provide conditions for changes in the way some young people socialize, but the real driving force comes from technological changes.social interaction and interaction methods in any era are constrained by technological conditions. from face-to-face communication and wild geese in agricultural society, to telegraphs and telephones in industrial society, to smartphones and social apps in digital society, people's social tools and interaction methods are becoming more and more diverse, and the scope of establishing relationship networks has also been greatly expanded. in fact, interest-based social interaction has always been quite popular among young people. from pen pals in the 1980s to various interest forums in the internet 1.0 stage, to online social software and online interest platforms in the digital age, young people can find and contact companions with the same entertainment needs or interests more conveniently, quickly and accurately. digital technology has greatly expanded the boundaries of young people's social interaction, not only breaking the time and space distance and barriers of interaction, but also providing a variety of interaction modes and methods.
in short, under the influence of structural changes and technological changes, the core of each person's social relationship network (such as intimate relationships and acquaintance relationships) is gradually shrinking, while the edge of the social relationship network is gradually expanding.in the eyes of some young people, socializing in a society of strangers is no longer a compulsory question, but an optional question. the choice of social method depends on the young people's own preferences.
three major trends in contemporary youth social interaction
first, there is a tendency to build a “comfort zone” of social relationships.under the pressure of the fast-paced work in the city, many young people find it difficult to maintain a balance between work and life, and lack the time and energy to maintain intimate relationships, which leads to the phenomenon of fear of marriage, fear of having children, fear of love, etc. in fact, it is not that young people do not expect the emergence of intimate relationships, but the input and output of managing intimate relationships are not proportional, and the risks and costs make some young people stay away from it.
from the perspective of risk, as people's family and marriage concepts change in modern society, previously stable intimate relationships may no longer be reliable. the rising divorce rate not only affects the stability of families in reality, but also indirectly affects the desire of some young people for intimate relationships. entering into an intimate relationship means taking on the responsibilities and obligations of a small family or two large families. as a result, some young people are increasingly cautious about establishing intimate relationships.
some young people prefer to build a simple and pure way of social interaction, maintain their own identity, and not compromise. in traditional rural society, favors and relationships are important components of social culture, and are also the basic behavioral norms for maintaining social networks and interpersonal relationships. at present, favors and face are still included in the "cost" category of social choices for some young people. but for the younger generation who pursue equality and self, paying attention to favors and face not only requires excessive accommodation to others, but also a kind of emotional consumption and psychological internal consumption. therefore, some young people choose to reduce the "cost" of social interaction, and one of the main manifestations is the preference for "hookup" social interaction. both parties in "hookup" social interaction are self-centered and evaluate the cost-benefit of the relationship equally. they can be like-minded and hit it off, or they can be incompatible and hit it off, and each builds a "comfort zone" of social relationships.
second, they prefer social interactions with clear boundaries.in modern society, young people pay more and more attention to the sense of social boundaries, which is even equivalent to a sense of security to some extent. it is undeniable that sticky social interaction makes some young people prone to complex interpersonal relationships, and even encounter problems such as privacy leaks and emotional bondage. for example, some relatives and neighbors prefer to talk about private issues such as work and income as public topics, which not only violates the privacy that some young people are generally reluctant to talk about, but also affects the mentality of some young people who do not want to "roll". this leads some young people to consciously avoid social environments that lack private space and look for social relationships with a sense of boundaries.
in addition, with the popularity of instant messaging social software, it is more convenient to use social software to arrange work, transfer files, and exchange information at work. general instant messaging applications have changed from emotional social software to tool-based work software. almost everyone is inevitably pulled into various types of social groups, such as unit groups, work groups, business groups, etc., and the boundary between work and life has become blurred. social relationships generated by industry relationships occupy a considerable part of the workplace interpersonal network, and everyone may fall into ineffective or inefficient social activities. ineffective social activities refer to social activities that cannot bring any pleasure or progress to people's spirit, emotions, work, and life. ineffective and inefficient social activities not only bring people stress and anxiety, but also fail to fully meet the high-level social needs deep in the hearts of human beings.
contemporary young people maintain a sense of boundaries between work and life to a certain extent. they have beautiful expectations for life and are unwilling to bring in too many professional relationships. as a result, some young people choose to "hook up" to socialize, and form temporary or phased social relationships in order to meet common life, entertainment, and interest purposes and needs. in fact, choosing "hook up" socializing is largely to avoid ineffective and inefficient socializing in daily relationship networks, hoping to form a boundary between work and life. temporary and phased social relationships are closer to cooperative relationships between strangers, with mutual equality and self-preservation. they do not need to compromise themselves to deliberately cater to the other party, nor do they need too much emotional investment, let alone too much emotional support. the social buffer zone provided by the "hook up" relationship allows some young people to return to real social life after completing their goals and meeting their needs comfortably.
third, be willing to try open and pragmatic social relationships.the willingness to try open and pragmatic social relationships can be said to be influenced by the transition from an identity society to a contract society. traditional relationship networks have their own identity attributes. whether it is blood relationship, geographical relationship, or industry relationship or academic relationship, the reason why individuals exist in the relationship network is because of the fit of a certain attribute of themselves. the relationship network has a strong closedness, and it is difficult for individuals without corresponding attributes to be embedded in the relationship network. but once they have specific attributes, even if the relationship network has no actual value, individuals need to bear corresponding responsibilities and obligations. for young people who like novelty and pursue excitement, they hope to have a wonderful and interesting social experience. in the process of social experience that is both open and heterogeneous, if there is a consensus of ideas, resonance of the soul and resonance of feelings, and mutual understanding and recognition, it can be transformed into a deep intimate relationship. taking "daizi" social networking as an example, whether it is a fitness novice or a food expert, whether it is a white-collar worker or a travel expert, they can find suitable partners in the network, which enhances the openness and heterogeneity of the relationship network. although there may be a cost of trial and error, it increases the opportunity for choice.
what psychological factors are behind changes in social methods?
at present, the topic of youth social interaction has become an important issue of general concern. new online terms related to contemporary youth social interaction, such as "social phobia", "social bull", and "social death", are emerging one after another. as social animals, humans generate social relationships in the process of interaction, and the changes in social methods are behind the changes in the social concepts of the younger generation.
self-awareness is high.from a psychological perspective, self-awareness is the most basic psychological structure of a normal and complete human individual, and is an important basis for determining personal behavior choices. individuals in traditional chinese society attach great importance to the construction and maintenance of interpersonal networks, and are prone to ineffective social interactions simply to maintain social relationships. contemporary young people are unwilling to lose themselves in ineffective social interactions. they regard social interactions as an interactive behavior oriented towards the pursuit of goal achievement and demand satisfaction. they value self and freedom in the process of social interaction. the satisfaction of personal demands is a key link in the establishment of social relationships. in the process of interaction, some young people pursue intimacy and emotionality within a controllable range, which can not only maintain sufficient social and psychological distance, gain more freedom, but also better demonstrate their own personality.
strong sense of equality.the "social consumption" caused by accommodating others is something that contemporary young people are unwilling to bear. contemporary young people prefer a pure and single relationship model that is closer to equal rights and responsibilities, that is, to let social interaction escape the troubles of emotional relationships and no longer bear ethical burdens. for example, the "partner" relationship is based on the common agreement and contract reached by both parties through negotiation. the relationship between social participants is an equal relationship, which requires mutual respect and tolerance.
the sense of cooperation gradually emerges.generally speaking, social interaction more or less hides the potential interests of individuals. both parties hope to achieve their own different goals and demands through this, which can be regarded as a broad social exchange behavior. with similar or nearly identical goals and demands, both parties are close to cooperating to achieve common goals and meet common demands, which can be regarded as a broad division of labor and cooperation behavior. in the social concepts of some young people, both parties need to share resources, share costs, exchange information, and form a temporary behavioral community. therefore, they must have sufficient cooperation awareness to achieve this.
the sense of independence continues to grow.today's young people are not fixed in the existing social network, but expand the marginal network with an active, positive and open mind, and independently choose and build social relationships that suit their own wishes. in the eyes of some young people, people are independent of each other. if they cannot fulfill their corresponding responsibilities or meet their corresponding needs, social relationships will be difficult to sustain. the existence of independent consciousness allows young people to gain more sense of responsibility and execution in the process of social interaction, which will also be of great benefit to their work and life.
in summary, the younger generation has seen a shift in social interaction from others-oriented to self-oriented, from emotional relationships to equal relationships, from exchange relationships to cooperative relationships, and from dependent relationships to independent relationships. these changes appear to be changes in behavioral logic limited to the field of social interaction, but in fact they are a profound change in young people's understanding of the relationship between people and between people and society. in their eyes, self, equality, cooperation, independence, etc. are the foundation of how to behave in the world.
how do you view these changes?
with the continuous acceleration of the modernization process, the interpersonal communication concept of contemporary young people has been greatly different from the traditional chinese "human relationship" communication model. some young people prefer temporary and short-term social relationships. taking "hookup" social networking as an example, it is a typical representative of the intimacy of stranger relationships, the functionalization of marginal relationships, the reality of virtual relationships, and the equality of interactive relationships in the digital age, which reflects the trend of the times to a certain extent. however, it cannot be ignored that the establishment of "hookup" relationships has certain limiting conditions. existing research reports have pointed out that whether there is a "hookup" in daily life is closely related to age, that is, the younger the youth, the greater the possibility of having a "hookup". another recognized fact is that as age increases, the possibility of young people entering into love, marriage and family is greater. in other words, the "hookup" relationship will gradually be replaced by an intimate relationship as age increases. the relationship between the "hookup" relationship and the intimate relationship is more like a progressive relationship, rather than a parallel relationship. through the above analysis, it can be seen that the "hookup" relationship is more likely to be the efforts of single men and women to explore and establish their own personal interpersonal network before entering an intimate relationship, and it is an attempt at a social behavior similar to an intimate relationship.
in addition, in contrast to the exchange of interests and mutual debts in the "human relations" communication model, contemporary young people pay more attention to the equality of interests between the two parties, that is, they emphasize timely settlement and clear settlement of economic interests between each other, and take no debts and fairness as the principles of communication. the digital age in which contemporary young people live is an era of individualized survival and fragmented life. individualized survival makes some young people lack the support of traditional interpersonal networks and achieve their goals through personal efforts; fragmented life makes some young people lack the time and energy to bear too much social costs, so they are more inclined to choose "social downgrade". in short, with the support of digital technology, the social methods of contemporary young people are more self-centered, equal, and independent, hoping to find suitable partners and form comfortable relationships more accurately and conveniently according to their interests.
every era has its own way of socializing. there is no perfect social model with universal significance that transcends the context of the specific era.contemporary youth still maintain an optimistic, positive, open and enterprising attitude towards social life, are full of beautiful yearning for social life, and spare no effort to pursue a social "comfort zone" with a sense of belonging, acceptance and happiness. we should correctly view the changes in the way young people socialize. youth is the most positive and vibrant force in the entire social force. we must respect their true inner feelings, encourage them to maintain an open social mentality, and encourage them to dare to pursue close relationships with strong emotions, strong interactions, and strong support. at the same time, relevant youth workers should also update and improve their theoretical methods and working methods in a timely manner, help young people establish a positive social outlook, and encourage them to strengthen their connection with society through offline social methods.
the above text has been slightly abridgedselected from | people's forum magazine, issue 16, 2024original title: social needs and preferences of young people in the digital age
author: tian feng, researcher at the institute of social development strategy, chinese academy of social sciences
new media editor | wang sinan
original editor | sun ke
welcome to follow the people's forum video account
recent exciting videos↓
like
