A multi-dimensional analysis of the reasons why “Lanshou Xianggu” became popular!

Through the spread of social media such as QQ Space, Baidu Tieba, Weibo and WeChat Moments , "Lanshou Xianggu" quickly became popular and has become a hot topic. Here, the author of this article will conduct a multi-dimensional analysis of the reasons why "Lanshou Xianggu" became popular.

1. What is “Lanshou Xianggu”?

On October 11, “Lanshou Xianggu” has been trending on WeChat Moments. Like many of my friends, I was confused by this new term. What the hell is this? Turn to Baidu for help.

It turns out that this Internet term comes from an online video. The person who recorded the video is from Nanning, Guangxi. He was very sad and wanted to cry because of a broken heart, so he recorded this video to express his sadness. Because the young man speaks with a local accent, the original words in the video are as follows:

I feel so sad and depressed. I was so happy today, why did you say such things? I'm so sad. The mushrooms are here. The first wing is so shitty for a girl, so sad. Why don't you say such nonsense and leave me here alone.

This Mandarin is so funny and really “clean and refined” that netizens did not feel sad after watching the video, but happy instead. Through social media such as QQ Space, Baidu Tieba, Weibo and WeChat Moments, "Lanshou Xianggu" quickly became popular and has become a hot topic.

2. The spread of “Lanshou Xianggu”

Hot topics do not emerge out of thin air, so how did “Lanshou Xianggu” explode on social media? Let us take a look at its transmission path.

Around October 5 (transmission incubation period)

The video of a young man from Nanning who looked "Lanshou Xianggu" attracted attention on QQ Space and later sparked discussion on Baidu Tieba. Judging from the search results of Baidu Tieba, the dissemination of the "Lanshou Xianggu" video in Tieba is limited and is only discussed locally.

October 8 (communication development period)

Miaopai internet celebrity @当时就震惊了 (Miaopai homepage shows that he has 26.79 million followers, a real internet celebrity) posted the video, which received 29,003 likes and was later reposted on Weibo @当时就震惊了 (Weibo homepage shows that he has 26.11 million followers), which received 10,000 reposts, 20,000 comments, and 10,000 likes on Weibo.

The internet celebrity's forwarding was the key to expanding the spread of "Lanshou Xianggu", which also conforms to the "law of individual characters" in "The Tipping Point". The "Lanshou Xianggu" video, which was originally discussed locally on QQ Space and Baidu Tieba, entered the more open and more influential Weibo platform.

October 9 (dissemination and fermentation period)

A large number of “Lanshou Xianggu” video imitations began to appear on Weibo, mainly in the form of Miaopai videos and Xiaokaxiu . At the same time, secondary creations such as "Lanshou Xianggu" emoticons, interpretations in other dialects, and sentence patterns have also appeared one after another, pushing this topic to become a hot topic.

October 10 (dissemination explosion period)

The participation of the two stars has further spread the buzzword "Lanshou Xianggu".

At around 2 a.m. on the 10th, Lin Gengxin posted on Weibo saying "Late night mushrooms", which triggered 5,445 discussions, 1,004 reposts, and 70,000 likes; at around 1 p.m. on the same day, actress Ying Er posted on Weibo saying "I suddenly had acute gastroenteritis and was hospitalized two days ago, feeling so sad, mushrooms", which triggered 3,938 discussions, 3,347 reposts, and 10,000 likes.

At the same time, relevant media reports appeared one after another, most of which explained the origin and meaning of "Lanshou Xianggu", and most of the publishing media were online media. The acceptance of the popular phrase "Lanshou Xianggu" by public figures has given "Lanshou Xianggu" an invisible label of credibility.

October 11 (peak of communication)

“Lanshou Xianggu” began to flood the WeChat Moments. Many brands including Three Squirrels, Vinda, Pure Draft Beer, 7-Eleven convenience stores, Haier washing machines and Pizza Hut took advantage of the "Lanshou Xianggu" campaign, and its online dissemination reached a climax.

3. Reasons for the popularity of “Lanshou Xianggu”

1. Explanation from a psychological perspective

Psychological effects are relatively common psychological phenomena and laws in social life. It is a phenomenon that most people produce the same or similar psychological reactions under the same circumstances or to the same stimuli. It is universal and also different.

(1) Sense of superiority

Shanghainese people think people from other places are "country bumpkins", Chinese people tend to look down on North Koreans, graduates from prestigious universities will have a certain sense of superiority when standing side by side with graduates from technical colleges, and when a group of people who think they speak standard Mandarin meet a guy who speaks with a local accent, they will naturally feel superior (not absolute). Internet users who are facing fierce competition and burdened with pressure from life have found a window for self-confidence and stress release in this young man from Guangxi. I think this is the most fundamental reason why "Lanshou Xianggu" became popular.

(2) Group psychology becomes extreme

Group behavior will make the views held by group members more extreme, the conservatives more conservative, the radicals more radical, and the negatives more negative, forming a "extreme resonance." "Lanshou Xianggu" is originally a sad story. Anyone with basic moral common sense should know that making fun of other people's shortcomings and building one's own happiness on the suffering of others is an immoral behavior. But once an atmosphere of enjoying this is formed, almost everyone no longer thinks that this is an immoral behavior.

(3) Curiosity

When we see "Lanshou Xianggu" on WeChat Moments, most of us are confused and find it difficult to subjectively judge its meaning. We often consult others or turn to search engines, and then participate in the dissemination after learning the reason. Therefore, many netizens were swept into this online communication out of curiosity.

(4) Herd mentality

Conformity refers to an individual being influenced by the behavior of the outside crowd, and exhibiting perceptions, judgments, and cognitions that are consistent with public opinion or the behavior of the majority. When one-third of the people in a group adopt a certain behavior, the others will be influenced and adopt similar behavior. When I saw my friends in my circle of friends using “Lanshou Xianggu”, I followed suit.

2. Explanation from a sociological perspective

Participating in the dissemination of online hot topics can satisfy our needs to connect with society. Using "Lanshou Xianggu" to make sentences satisfies two psychological needs at the same time: Internet buzzwords represent a new way of speaking with a strong sense of the times and fashion. As an Internet buzzword, using and spreading "Lanshou Xianggu" is also a manifestation of self-fashion. (The manifestation of individualism), and it also embodies the connection and resonance with others and eliminates loneliness (the appeal of collectivism).

3. Explanation from an economic perspective

Imitating and recreating online hot topics can quickly attract attention. In this era of "attention economy", eyeballs are the most scarce resource. Various corporate self-media and joke tellers have taken advantage of the "Lanshou Xianggu" trend to either re-produce content or simply create sentences to gain market attention, with low costs and high returns. This is often the main motivation for corporate self-media and joke tellers to participate in dissemination.

4. Explanation from the perspective of communication

(1) Omnimedia communication mechanism

Cross-platform multi-channel dissemination, social media platforms are mainly based on "participatory" dissemination by netizens, and information media platforms are mainly based on "reporting" dissemination by the media. Information from different channels and different circles flows, stimulates and promotes each other, forming a "fission effect" of dissemination. This is the key to the rapid popularity of "Lanshou Xianggu".

(2) Unlimited diffusion of social media communication

Social media (Weibo, WeChat Moments, etc.) takes users as the points and integrates interpersonal communication, intergroup communication, circle communication, and mass communication. Once an event breaks out at a certain point or circle on the network, it will spread everywhere at an accelerated rate, instantly "erupting" and "sweeping the screen". This is the communication media guarantee that "Lanshou Xianggu" was able to become popular quickly within a few days.