People are now paying WeChat groups to be praised by strangers

'Sometimes a rainbow-coloured fart can still brighten your day'

'I was dropped into a WeChat group of 500 people and complete strangers praised the hell out me,' read a recent People’s Daily Weibo post on social media craze kuakua chat groups. As the term kua (‘夸’, to praise) suggests, members of these WeChat group chats send nothing but compliments and words of encouragement, mainly to complete strangers.

First popular among university students, the process is simple: send a note on what’s got you down and hold your breath as a string of praises follow, complimenting you on anything from your profile picture to your witty word choice. The only rule is to have fun and enjoy your moment. According to People’s Daily, someone in Fudan's kuakua group simply typed, 'I need to be praised, full stop.' Soon, compliments ranging from 'Lovin' your hat' to 'It's rare to see a person your age expressing their wants so blatantly' to 'Ending with a full stop shows your determination… You must be a person who always chases your dreams' started streaming in.

According to Qianjiang Evening News, kuakua groups first appeared at Zhejiang University, then spread across university campuses like a virus. When the craze spread outside of schools, some noticed the potential to capitalise on the human need to be praised. According to What's on Weibo, Taobao shops are now selling 'praise sessions' starting from 50RMB for five minutes. After a payment, you’ll be dropped into a kuakua group that supposedly consists of university students from top-tier schools and once your time is up, you’ll be removed by the group’s admin.

Some have commented that the trend might be a result of feeling like you need to deflect a compliment in order to appear humble in Chinese culture. Others believe it’s the result of an increasingly fast-paced society, where we don’t get enough compliments at school or at the office.

A recent debate between students from two of China's top universities, Peking and Tsinghua, further popularised kuakua groups after a video went viral in which someone from Tsinghua said, ‘Even a rainbow-coloured fart can still brighten your day,' while someone from Peking concluded, 'A cuddle from your girlfriend or boyfriend works much better.'

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