Chinese Self-Presentations of Happiness on Social Media: A Content Analysis of New Year Wishes

Abstract

The understanding of happiness is subjective, with cultural tendency. Nowadays, New Year’s wishes have become a culture in China. The wishes of individuals, to a certain extent, reflect their inner needs and desires, and can be considered as a window and channel from which to interpret individual views of happiness. In this study, social media users’ posts are considered as self-reports, enabling an exploration of Chinese users’ perspectives on happiness through content analysis of their New Year’s wishes. A total sample size of 1,581 posts from three consecutive years (2021-2023) was collected using a Python program from Sina Weibo. These posts were then coded based on a coding scheme developed through prior empirical categorization processes. The findings reveal a comprehensive portrayal of happiness as perceived by Chinese people from ten dimensions: being in a positive mental state, having future expectations, enjoying good health, possessing sound financial stability, spending time with family members, leading an unrestricted and joyful life, maintaining good appearances, freedom from disasters, and achieving success in work. Furthermore, this study discusses various definitions of happiness as well as strategies for attaining it. While many conclusions drawn align with findings
from previous studies, some distinct insights are also presented herein along with implications and limitations specific to this current study.