China's young Internet users are using moderate and humorous ways to express their opinions on changes in society, research by MSN China revealed on Tuesday.
The company revealed the top 10 MSN autograph statements among over 15 million MSN Messenger users in China. People often use the autograph on the popular online chatting tool to share feelings and opinions with their friends, according to survey covering 270,000 people.
"It is an era of Web2.0 and people want to individualize and express themselves through the autograph," MSN China said.
About 85 percent of white-collar people regularly change their MSN autograph and 20 percent of users change it every day, according to MSN.
The top autograph, based on Chinese legendary story "Journey to the West," described the surging price of pork, which tripled last year.
The second-ranked autograph says: "I asked a friend working in Shenzhen for more than 20 years what he wants to write down on the epitaph. The person answers 'I solve the house problem'."
In some big cities such as Beijing and Shenzhen, he said, the housing price rose more than 10 percent in 2007.
Another autograph says: "Even Zhuge Liang (the famous talented commander) has no military experience before he leads the army. Why I have to own work experience (during the first job interview)?"
Other topics on the list covered the views on honesty, love and passion in modern society, such as "Mom told me not to miss two things in the life - the last bus home and a person who loves you" and "Don't be afraid of the shadow in front of you because that means the sunshine's behind you."
Lydia Su, a MSN user for eight years, often changed names on the topics of her unborn baby and her entertainment experience. Now her autograph is "32 weeks (of the baby)."
"I want to express if the stock surges, I go to shop for baby or buy a new computer game. Everything I want to share with friends," Su said.
(Shanghai Daily January 10, 2008)
