Keep ‘unfamiliar’ WeChat friends

By Zhang Xinyuan Source:Global Times Published: 2015-11-29 17:18:01

Weak connections on social media bring useful opportunities


"Unfamiliar" friends on WeChat could bring you unexpected job opportunities. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Zhang Lin, 26, who works at a television station in Beijing, once considered it a headache to deal with her more than 1,500 friends on WeChat.

"Ninety-eight percent of my friends on WeChat are 'unfamiliar friends,' whom I wouldn't meet for a year or longer. I have been wanting to delete them and only save my real friends whom I see and talk to frequently," Zhang said.

However, she recently had a complete change of heart about her "unfamiliar friends."

Last week, a person Zhang had only met once at a dinner party reached out to her. She told Zhang that her company was looking for a part-time video producer, and she wanted to offer Zhang this job.

"She told me that she noticed the videos I've made and posted on WeChat, and thought I was quite talented," Zhang said. "I didn't even go through an interview to get the job, because she said she trusted me."

"I have been meaning to do a part-time job to earn some extra money. Now the job has just landed in my lap out of blue, and it happened because of my 'unfamiliar friend' on WeChat," she added.

Zhang told Metropolitan that an "unfamiliar" friend on her WeChat has also brought a new opportunity in her love life.

A friend of her mother set her up with her nephew when she found out from Zhang's WeChat posts that she was single.

Social media is becoming more popular in China. However, many Chinese people find that social media has had a negative impact on their lives. Many delete these so-called "unfamiliar friends" or stop using social media completely.

However, Zhang's experience and some scientific research indicate that having a large number of "unfamiliar friends," and staying active on social media, can bring practical dividends to people's lives.

Mark Granovertter, a sociologist from Stanford University, proposed a theory on the strength of weak ties back in the 1970s. He found that among the people who got jobs through connections, only one in six found the job through strong connections, that is through people they see at least twice a week. Some five in six got jobs through weak connections, meaning through people they see once a year or less.

In his article posted on the official website of Stanford University, Granovertter explained that the people you are familiar with and see most often are generally doing the same things as you do and have similar thoughts. "The people you barely meet and are out of your daily social circle will know more information you don't know and bring more opportunities," he said in the article.

Bian Yanjie, a sociologist from Xi'an Jiaotong University, partly agreed with Granovertter. Bian said that weak connections can expand people's horizons, which could lead to more opportunities.

"However in China's society, where the market-oriented economy is not as developed as in Western countries, strong connections are more valuable than weak connections to get things done," Bian said.

Zhang noted that people do not have to keep every weak connection in their social media. "If I am sure they can never bring me any opportunities, I just delete them."



Posted in: Metro Beijing

blog comments powered by Disqus