ABSTRACT
Recently, a widely circulated duanzi (discussed in Chapter 31) mocked users of WeChat, the dominant form of the fourth type of communication in our classification scheme—closed circle communication. The duanzi goes like this:
WeChat users marched in the National Day Parade in Tiananmen Square, and the announcer described them as follows: “Ladies and gentlemen, here comes the WeChat group. Look! They are wearing pajamas and shouldering pillows, with iPhones in their left hands and Samsungs in their right hands. Pots of Chicken Soup [for the Soul] are on their backs and Buddhist sutras and secret recipes for health are hanging on their chests. They stride past the stands, looking glassy-eyed and half-dead; meanwhile, they are muttering inspirational classics and duanzi to themselves.” Then, President Xi Jinpin said, “Hello comrades! Did you just wake up?” The WeChat group answered loudly, “Hello, Mr. President! What is the Wi-Fi password of Tiananmen Square?”
