The Weixin phenomenon among Chinese university students: a new model of multifunctional application

Abstract

China is the country where there are more mobile users with Internet access in the world and presents a singular and atomized landscape of social media and mobile applications. Within this context, it has emerged Weixin, an application that is becoming a real social phenomenon, particularly among university students. Thus, the main objectives of this article are: to analyze Weixin in order to understand the possibilities offered by this new model of application; and learn about the transformations and new social practices carried out by students on university campuses. For the purpose of conducting this investigation, we have used a mixed method based on the content analysis of Weixin and in‑depth interviews with students of Sichuan University. The results obtained identify Weixin as an application where there is a convergence of a wide spectrum of functions and services that are synchronized with the needs of users in their day‑to‑day lives, while offering many possibilities for customization. Its use by stu dents is a phenomenon which, on university campuses, is transforming the social interactions and generating new practices in the socio‑cultural, economic, media and sports areas. Therefore, by using this application the university students are developing a new lifestyle around mobile devices.