Why thousands of young Chinese people use a pink dinosaur as their alias
Users adopt the alias “momo” as a way to speak more freely, evade harassment, and protect personal privacy on Douban and Xiaohongshu.
By Caiwei Chen
2 October 2023 • China
Chinese social media users are adopting the online alias “momo” as a way to speak more freely, evade harassment, and protect their privacy.
Originally the default username for new accounts on Douban and Xiaohongshu, it was later popularized by online fans who wanted to safely gossip about celebrities without being harassed by competing fandoms.
Some internet users see their fellow momos as a community of like-minded people, hoping to build a more tolerant and inclusive space of discourse on the Chinese internet.
Emily Yuan, a high school student in Guizhou, lives a double life on the Chinese internet. On her main social media accounts on WeChat and Weibo, Yuan shares photos of herself and posts about school events, like a recent debate competition, for her friends and family to see. But on her alternative accounts, on Douban and Xiaohongshu, Yuan goes by the username “momo,” paired with a profile picture of a pink cartoon dinosaur. Under this alter ego, Yuan posts controversial commentary on everything from K-pop to feminism.
On a Xiaohongshu post about the health risks of childbirth for women, Yuan, or “momo,” commented, “If you truly love someone, why would you want them to undergo something as harrowing as childbirth?” Under the post, two more users jumped into the conversation, agreeing with Yuan — both were named momo.
Yuan is just one of tens of thousands of Chinese social media users who have adopted momo the pink dinosaur as their online alias, as a way to speak more freely, evade harassment, and protect their privacy. Today, you can find momos in all corners of the Chinese internet — from Douban forums on youth unemployment to Xiaohongshu posts recommending New York restaurants to Weibo threads discussing new TV shows. Douban’s momo group has over 11,000 members, while Xiaohongshu has over 10,000 users named momo, according to Chinese social media analytics site NewRank.
Momo was originally the default username for new accounts on Douban or Xiaohongshu. It then became popular in Douban communities like Goose Group — members used it to safely gossip about celebrities without being harassed by competing fandoms.
Ding Ran, a 25-year-old product manager based in Beijing, first adopted momo as her Douban username in 2023. She wanted to post about her favorite Taiwanese actor, Danson Tang, on social media, without being attacked by fans of Tang’s rivals. “Fandoms are filled with rage and vitriol,” Ding told Rest of World. A post can quickly spiral into a thread of personal attacks against everyone involved. Ding said the momo identity was liberating because she could shield herself from rabid fans by adopting a more inconspicuous persona.
In February this year, famous Chinese actor Chen Feiyu filed a defamation lawsuit against a Douban user named momo, for accusing him of being involved in an inappropriate relationship with a fan. In response, many Douban users changed their usernames to momo, and adopted “We are all momo” as a rallying cry.
https://restofworld.org/2023/social-media-privacy-momo-dinosaur/
And wonders what their word for glowie is, kek. Because anon would use it here whenever one of those worldwide CCP policemen is encountered.