A STUDY OF MOMO AND THE STIGMA OF “FLIRTING APPLICATION”: AN ANALYSIS OF CHINESE YOUTHS’ ATTITUDE TOWARD ONLINE DATING

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the "flirting application" stigma affect Chinese youths using attitudes and behavior toward Momo. This study used questionnaires to surveyed and collected data on Chinese youths ‘attitudes, including people who are using, have used and never used Momo, the result shows that youths are the biggest group of Momo user, and a large part of youth think that Momo is a tool to kill time. The results show that youths who are using Momo have a positive attitude towards Momo, they admit that Momo is a flirting app, but it doesn't have impact on themselves or their relationship, and the result indicated that young men actually use Momo to flirt and find short-term sexual relationships; those youths who have used Momo have a very negative attitude toward social media dating, and the establishment of long-term relationship, among them, women have quite a negative attitude; In addition, the survey found that establishment of long-term relationships through Momo is a very difficult thing. There are two reasons, first, because people are not willing to establish the long-term emotional relationship through the strangers' social media, such Momo which with the stigma of "flirting application"; the second is people considered Momo and similar applications are easy to recognize strangers, they has negative and adverse effect on long-term, existing emotional relationship.