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Faking Social Media 2.0: The Business of Buying “High-End Moments” for WeChat

Some are so eager to look picture perfect on their social media feed, that they go to extremes to create a fake online life.

Manya Koetse

Published

6 years ago

on

Your fake social life, delivered to your WeChat at 5 pm every day? Sounds very Nosedive, yet there are many who buy their social media contents in an attempt to appear cool, rich, and handsome.

This week, the story of a Wechat groupfor ‘fake rich’ women in Shanghai who pool together money to rent designer bags or share a two-person high tea at the Ritz with six people went super trending on Chinese…

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Manya Koetse

Manya Koetse is a sinologist, writer, and public speaker specializing in China’s social trends, digital culture, and online media ecosystems. She founded What’s on Weibo in 2013 and now runs the Eye on Digital China newsletter. Learn more at manyakoetse.com or follow her on X, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Olivier

    November 8, 2020 at 2:50 pm

    That s the best of the fake life of social media
    haha
    Great share

    Reply

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China Brands, Marketing & Consumers

Quack Like a Goose: Why Beijing Street Vendor “Auntie Goose Legs” Sparked a Nationwide Debate

After the first complaints surfaced, Auntie Goose Legs admitted the truth about her business: she ha been selling duck legs all along.

Manya Koetse

Published

2 months ago

on

June 20, 2026

By

🔥 Originally published in Eye on Digital China.
My premium newsletter covering the stories, memes, debates, and viral moments shaping online conversations in China. Subscribe here to receive future editions.

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it might still be a goose – or the other way around. That, at least, is the takeaway from two stories that recently went viral on Chinese social media.

The woman at…

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China Memes & Viral

Auntie Goose Legs, China’s Shrinking Condom Market, and DeepSeek’s AI Blind Spot

If it walks like a duck, it might just be Auntie Goose Legs. A wrap-up of noteworthy trending stories in China. From the real Rolex recruiting fake crowds to diaper scares & a funny Deepseek moment.

Manya Koetse

Published

2 months ago

on

June 20, 2026

By

🔥 China Trend Watch (week 25 | 2026) Part of Eye on Digital China, this is my premium newsletter where I explain the stories, memes, debates, and viral moments shaping online conversations in China. This edition was sent to paid subscribers — subscribe to receive the next issue in your inbox.

China celebrated the more than 2,000-year-old Dragon Boat Festival (端午节) holiday this Friday, so I wish you health, good luck, and plenty…

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