Authors
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Meilian ZHUANG
Department of New Media, Faculty of Informatics, Mahasarakham University, Thailand
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Ratanachote THIENMONGKOL
Department of New Media, Faculty of Informatics, Mahasarakham University, Thailand
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Ruethai NIMNOI
Department of Information Science, Faculty of Informatics, Mahasarakham University, Thailand
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Shaoye LUO
New Engineering Industry College, Putian University, Fujian Province, China
Keywords:
Self-Presentation, Happiness View, Social Media, New Year’s Wishes, Content Analysis
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.
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Author Biographies
Meilian ZHUANG, Department of New Media, Faculty of Informatics, Mahasarakham University, Thailand
Meilian Zhuang, PhD Candidate at the Department of New Media, Faculty of Informatics, Mahasarakham University, Thailand. Her research areas include new media communication and culture communication. She can be reached at <zml20011002@163.com>.
Ratanachote THIENMONGKOL, Department of New Media, Faculty of Informatics, Mahasarakham University, Thailand
Department of New Media, Faculty of Informatics, Mahasarakham University, Thailand. His academic research focuses on improving the empowerment of visualization for user recognition and reading acquisition based on the Human Centered Design (HCD) concept. He can be contacted via email at <ratanachote.t@msu.ac.th>.
Ruethai NIMNOI, Department of Information Science, Faculty of Informatics, Mahasarakham University, Thailand
Ruethai Nimnoi is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Information Science, Faculty of Informatics, Mahasarakham University, Thailand. She is committed to the study of information science. She can be reached at <ruethai.n@msu.ac.th>.
Shaoye LUO, New Engineering Industry College, Putian University, Fujian Province, China
Shaoye Luo is an Associate Professor at the New Engineering Industry College, Putian University, Fujian Province, China. His research focuses on data mining and analysis. He can be reached at <lsy123@163.com>
