‘Micro’ lifestyle rules mainland youth

Xi'an (CNS) -- The young generation of mainland Chinese is increasingly influenced by micro-formatted entertainment and services. In our information age, blogs, movies, novels and animations carried in micro-formats are meeting the demands of the young and the restless for instantly available, condensed and portable content and services.

Weibo is an obvious example of the micro-supported lifestyle, with 250 million regular users by the end of 2011. This number quadrupled in a single year and is equal to almost half of all Chinese netizens, according to data released by the China Internet Network Information Center.

And the new micro-habit integrates well with tradition; 12,374 Weibo users posted their first new year's tweet during the first second of 2012, a Weibo supplier noted.

When modernity tears one's schedule into many small fragments, the young generation pulls it all together by micro means, facilitated by the wide coverage of the Internet.

Liu Xinrong, a bank clerk in Xi'an, became addicted to Weibo after using it for merely two months. Now, whenever she can spare a moment, she is browsing in cyberspace, commenting or forwarding tweets on Weibo.

Li Lei, also of the 1980s generation, admits that the days of spending a cab ride casually enjoying the views outside the window have passed. His major activity during a taxi trip is reading micro novels – with plots limited to 140 characters.

Educational expert Fang Haiyun at the Shaanxi Academy of Social Sciences reminds youth to take more initiative when carving out a lifestyle; a healthy and happy way of life is in harmony with one's psychological needs and one's surroundings.