Plant Tree in the Forest to Grow Yourself - A case study of Chinese young people's everyday practice of Forest use
(2024) MKVM13 20241Media and Communication Studies
Department of Communication and Media
- Abstract
- Unlike in the past, the path to adulthood has become more complex and varied for young people today than ever before. Twenty-somethings must be ready to adapt to the challenges and difficulties of this period. Over the last decade, with the development of the digital age, smartphones have become an indispensable part of people's lives, especially for young people. In China, the use of smartphones has expanded and profoundly influenced how people live their daily lives. The case study of Forest, a screen-control app, provides insights into the experiences of contemporary Chinese young people in their everyday practices and the new pressures and challenges they face in adulthood. Qualitative interviews were used to explore their motivations... (More)
- Unlike in the past, the path to adulthood has become more complex and varied for young people today than ever before. Twenty-somethings must be ready to adapt to the challenges and difficulties of this period. Over the last decade, with the development of the digital age, smartphones have become an indispensable part of people's lives, especially for young people. In China, the use of smartphones has expanded and profoundly influenced how people live their daily lives. The case study of Forest, a screen-control app, provides insights into the experiences of contemporary Chinese young people in their everyday practices and the new pressures and challenges they face in adulthood. Qualitative interviews were used to explore their motivations for using Forest, the experiences they gained, and the role of Forest in their daily lives. The Chinese examination system, smartphone addiction, digital disconnection, medical regulation, self-presentation, collectivism and individualism, face (脸lian) in traditional Chinese culture, parenting and the sense of independent and autonomous self are some topics explored in the study.
Through qualitative, in-depth interviews with eleven participants, the author understands that stages characterise the context in which young people use Forests. For young people in their twenties, the pressure from the many exams in their daily lives becomes a factor that makes them procrastinate on the matter of studying. Message notifications from WeChat and unequal power relations make them want to engage in digital disconnection. The dangers of addiction and the lectures about medicine conveyed to them by their families and social institutions, in turn, make them form false perceptions of their abilities. At the same time, in the small collective formed by the group, the face (脸lian) in the Chinese cultural context is the main reason for the young people's active participation and conscientiousness in giving, as it is the image projection of their selves in the public space. The study also found that those who give for the collective interest and those who place more importance on pursuing personal values coexist among contemporary Chinese young people. In addition, because they were not encouraged to develop a sense of responsibility for themselves during adolescence, using Forest is also a process of awakening and creating an understanding of independent self-consciousness among young Chinese. Meandering but still moving upwards, Forest, for them, has gone from being a management tool to a means of self-expression. In conclusion, this study suggests that young Chinese people are facing both new challenges characteristic of the times and old problems prevalent as they move towards adulthood in the context of the digital age. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9151460
- author
- Peng, Rucai LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MKVM13 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Adulthood, smartphones, young people in China, smartphone addiction, parenting, medical regulation, collectivism, face (脸lian)
- language
- English
- id
- 9151460
- date added to LUP
- 2024-06-12 08:32:21
- date last changed
- 2024-06-12 08:32:21
@misc{9151460,
abstract = {{Unlike in the past, the path to adulthood has become more complex and varied for young people today than ever before. Twenty-somethings must be ready to adapt to the challenges and difficulties of this period. Over the last decade, with the development of the digital age, smartphones have become an indispensable part of people's lives, especially for young people. In China, the use of smartphones has expanded and profoundly influenced how people live their daily lives. The case study of Forest, a screen-control app, provides insights into the experiences of contemporary Chinese young people in their everyday practices and the new pressures and challenges they face in adulthood. Qualitative interviews were used to explore their motivations for using Forest, the experiences they gained, and the role of Forest in their daily lives. The Chinese examination system, smartphone addiction, digital disconnection, medical regulation, self-presentation, collectivism and individualism, face (脸lian) in traditional Chinese culture, parenting and the sense of independent and autonomous self are some topics explored in the study.
Through qualitative, in-depth interviews with eleven participants, the author understands that stages characterise the context in which young people use Forests. For young people in their twenties, the pressure from the many exams in their daily lives becomes a factor that makes them procrastinate on the matter of studying. Message notifications from WeChat and unequal power relations make them want to engage in digital disconnection. The dangers of addiction and the lectures about medicine conveyed to them by their families and social institutions, in turn, make them form false perceptions of their abilities. At the same time, in the small collective formed by the group, the face (脸lian) in the Chinese cultural context is the main reason for the young people's active participation and conscientiousness in giving, as it is the image projection of their selves in the public space. The study also found that those who give for the collective interest and those who place more importance on pursuing personal values coexist among contemporary Chinese young people. In addition, because they were not encouraged to develop a sense of responsibility for themselves during adolescence, using Forest is also a process of awakening and creating an understanding of independent self-consciousness among young Chinese. Meandering but still moving upwards, Forest, for them, has gone from being a management tool to a means of self-expression. In conclusion, this study suggests that young Chinese people are facing both new challenges characteristic of the times and old problems prevalent as they move towards adulthood in the context of the digital age.}},
author = {{Peng, Rucai}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Plant Tree in the Forest to Grow Yourself - A case study of Chinese young people's everyday practice of Forest use}},
year = {{2024}},
}